Development of corrosion resistant magnesium implants

The highly corrosive environment of the human body limits the use of alternative metallic materials. There is a need for metallic implants that will not damage the metabolism of living cells over time and that will accelerate the healing process. In this study, the corrosion mechanism of magnesium metal in simulated body fluid (SBF) and the effects of chemical surface modification processes using H2O2 and NaOH were examined via electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), Tafel extrapolation (TP) and dynamic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (DEIS). The morphological changes occurring on the surface of the magnesium metal were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-diffraction X-ray diffractometry (EDX), atomic force microscopy (AFM) and optical profilometry (OP). The findings obtained by the different methods applied showed that the surface modification methods had protected the magnesium from corrosion in the SBF environment. The electrochemical experiments and surface morphology results indicated that the corrosion mechanism of the magnesium metal was slowed down more with the H2O2 application than with the NaOH.