Biodegradation and cytotoxic properties of pulse anodized Mg alloys

Magnesium has the potential to be used as an implant material owing to its non-toxicity. On the other hand, magnesium alloys corrode rapidly in subcutaneous gas bubbles. Consequently, the approach of using magnesium alloys as a biodegradable biomaterial is not well established. Therefore, the aim of this study was to provide corrosion protection by anodizing to surface for a biodegradable material. Micro-arc oxidation by pulsed DC was applied to AZ91D and AZ31B, and the cell bioactivity was defined. The anodic film was characterized by XRD and SEM. The specific mass loss variation from immersion test and potentiodynamic electrochemical test was performed for the quantification of corrosion resistance. Although the AZ91D had better corrosion resistance properties but the result of the in vitro tests showed low cell viability compared with the AZ31B. The results of the cell staining and agar overlay test revealed the AZ31B group had good biocompatibility and a low corrosion rate. In this study, the surfaces of AZ91D and AZ31B showed the formation of a uniform film by pulse power anodization improving corrosion resistance. Also, the cytotoxicity of the materials was examined by the aluminum content change of compound metal.