Improved mechanical performance and delayed corrosion phenomena in biodegradable Mg–Zn–Ca alloys through Pd-alloying

The influence of partial substitution of Mg by Pd on the microstructure, mechanical properties and corrosion behaviour of Mg72−xZn23Ca5Pdx (x=0, 2 and 6 at.%) alloys, synthesized by copper mould casting, is investigated. While the Mg72Zn23Ca5 alloy is mainly amorphous, the addition of Pd decreases the glass-forming ability, thus favouring the formation of crystalline phases. From a mechanical viewpoint, the hardness increases with the addition of Pd, from 2.71 GPa for x=0 to 3.9 GPa for x=6, mainly due to the formation of high-strength phases. In turn, the wear resistance is maximized for an intermediate Pd content (i.e., Mg70Zn23Ca5Pd2). Corrosion tests in a simulated body fluid (Hank’s solution) indicate that Pd causes a shift in the corrosion potential towards more positive values, thus delaying the biodegradability of this alloy. Moreover, since the cytotoxic studies with mouse preosteoblasts do not show dead cells after culturing for 27 h, these alloys are potential candidates to be used as biomaterials.