Magnesium based degradable biomaterials: A review

Magnesium has been suggested as a revolutionary biodegradable metal for biomedical applications. The corrosion of magnesium, however, is too rapid to match the rates of tissue healing and, additionally, exhibits the localized corrosion mechanism. Thus it is necessary to control the corrosion behaviors of magnesium for their practical use. This paper comprehensively reviews the research progress on the development of representative magnesium based alloys, including Mg-Ca, Mg-Sr, Mg-Zn and Mg-REE alloy systems as well as the bulk metallic glass. The influence of alloying element on their microstructures, mechanical properties and corrosion behaviors is summarized. The mechanical and corrosion properties of wrought magnesium alloys are also discussed in comparison with those of cast alloys. Furthermore, this review also covers research carried out in the field of the degradable coatings on magnesium alloys for biomedical applications. Calcium phosphate and biodegradable polymer coatings are discussed based on different preparation techniques used. We also compare the effect of different coatings on the corrosion behaviors of magnesium alloys substrate.