Microstructure, corrosion behavior and cytotoxicity of biodegradable Mg-Sn implant alloys prepared by sub-rapid solidification

In this study, biodegradable Mg-Sn alloys were fabricated by sub-rapid solidification, and their microstructure, corrosion behavior and cytotoxicity were investigated by using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy equipped with an energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, immersion test, potentiodynamic polarization test and cytotoxicity test. The results showed that the microstructure of Mg-1Sn alloy was almost equiaxed grain, while the Mg-Sn alloys with higher Sn content (Sn >= 3 wt.%) displayed alpha-Mg dendrites, and the secondary dendrite arm spacing of the primary a-Mg decreased significantly with increasing Sn content. The Mg-Sn alloys consisted of primary a-Mg matrix, Sn-rich segregation and Mg2Sn phase, and the amount of Mg2Sn phases increased with increasing Sn content. Potentiodynamic polarization and immersion tests revealed that the corrosion rates of Mg-Sn alloys increased with increasing Sn content. Cytotoxicity test showed that Mg-1Sn and Mg-3Sn alloys were harmless to MG63 cells. These results of the present study indicated that Mg-1Sn and Mg-3Sn alloys were promising to be used as biodegradable implants. (C) 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.