In vitro degradation behaviour of biodegradable magnesium alloys

Abstract Biodegradable magnesium alloys are promising materials for orthopaedic implants. With their mechanical properties similar to native bone, magnesium alloys can overcome some significant disadvantages of conventional metallic implants. Nonetheless, the material degrades too fast for clinical approval. Therefore, the corrosion rate of the implant needs to be controlled and decelerated to guarantee sufficient mechanical support during the entire bone healing process. In this work, we analyse the corrosion behaviour of the magnesium alloy WE43 in a physiological environment and assess the influence of a plasma electrolytic coating to the corrosion process. The experimental results show that the coating significantly decreases the mass loss rate as well as the degradation of the material strength of the WE43 alloy.