State of art on enhancing the corrosion rate of biodegradable iron alloys

Abstract Biodegradable implants help avoid the adverse residual effects and the need for secondary surgeries associated with permanent implants. Recently, biodegradable metals (BMs), which are designed to gradually corrode within the body, have gained significant research interest as promising materials to meet this need. Iron (Fe) alloys are promising metals for the fabrication biodegradable implants, which possess excellent mechanical properties. However, their corrosion rates can be too slow in physiological environments for specific applications, such as cardiovascular and osteogenic devices. Therefore, techniques on enhancing the corrosion rate of Fe alloys are worth to study. Various methods have been explored to enhance their degradation, including alloying, processing and surface treatments. The paper reviewed biodegradable Fe alloys and their corrosion mechanism, the methods on enhancing corrosion rate, based on the development of metallic implant materials.