The influence of zinc content and sintering temperature on microstructure, hardness and corrosion potential of Mg-Zn-Ca alloy

Mg-Zn-Ca alloy, a material widely recognized for its potential as a biomaterial, has been the focus of our research. In this work, powder metallurgy was used to create three alloys with mass fractions: 89Mg-10Zn-1Ca, 93Mg-6Zn-1Ca, and 97Mg-2Zn-1Ca wt.%. Powders were mixed in the mentioned parts where magnesium served as the substrate. The compaction pressure applied to the sample was 200 MPa. The sintering process was then conducted at two temperature levels, 500?C and 600?C, in an argon gas environment. Hardness and microstructural observations were conducted on the samples. Electrochemical corrosion tests were performed using a potentiometer. Additionally, the potential of hydrogen (pH) value in simulated body fluid was evaluated. The results indicated that the alloy with the highest zinc content of 10% at a sintering temperature of 600?C exhibited the best potential as an implant material, showing the highest hardness test results and the lowest corrosion rate.