Quantitative Imaging of Magnesium Biodegradation by 3D X-Ray Ptychography and Electron Microscopy

Magnesium-based alloys are excellent materials for temporary medical implants, but understanding and controlling their corrosion performance is crucial. Most nanoscale corrosion studies focus on the surface, providing only 2D information. In contrast, macro- and microscale X-ray tomography offers representative volume information, which is, however, comparatively low in resolution and rather qualitative. Here a new mesoscale approach overcomes these drawbacks and bridges the scale gap by combining 3D measurements using ptychographic X-ray computed tomography (PXCT) with electron microscopy. This combination allows to observe the corrosion progress non-destructively in 3D and provides high-resolution chemical information on the corrosion products. A medical Mg-Zn-Ca alloy is used and compared the same sample in the pristine and corroded states. With PXCT an isotropic resolution of 85 and 123 nm is achieved for the pristine and corroded states respectively, which enables to distinguish nanoscale Mg2Ca precipitates from the matrix. The corroded state in best approximation to the in situ conditions is imaged and reveals the complexity of corrosion products. The results illustrate that the corrosion-layer is dense and defect-free, and the corrosion of the material is grain-orientation sensitive. The developed workflow can advance research on bioactive materials and corrosion-sensitive functional materials. Magnesium alloys are ideal for temporary implants, but understanding their biodegradation is vital. Existing studies offer limited high-resolution 2D or low-resolution 3D data. The researchers combined 3D ptychographic X-ray computed tomography and 2D electron microscopy to observe corrosion in a medical Mg alloy in 3D with high-resolution chemical detail, closely approximating in situ conditions. image