Optimizing mechanical property and cytocompatibility of the biodegradable Mg-Zn-Y-Nd alloy by hot extrusion and heat treatment

The Mg-Zn-Y-Nd alloy is a new type of degradable material for biomedical application. In the present study, Mg-6Zn-1.2Y-0.8Nd alloy was fabricated, and then extrusion and heat treatment were conducted to optimize its mechanical properties and cytocompatibility. The microstructure observation, mechanical property, degradation behavior and cytocompatibility tests were conducted on the Mg-Zn-Y-Nd alloy with three different states: as-cast (alloy C), as-extruded (alloy E) and extruded + heat treated (alloy EH). The results show that alloy C consists of coarse grains and continuous secondary phases. The extrusion process has caused incomplete recrystallization, and results in a mixed grain structure of elongated grains and small equiaxed grains (alloy E). The heat treatment process has promoted the recrystallization and homogenized the grain structure (alloy EH). Both the strength and ductility of the alloy has been improved by extrusion, but the following heat treatment has decreased the strength and increased the ductility. The degradation behavior of the alloy C and E alloys does not show much difference, but improves slightly in alloy EH, because the heat treatment has homogenized the microstructure and released the residual stress in the alloy. The directly and indirectly cell viability tests indicate that alloy EH exhibits the best cytocompatibility, which should be ascribed to its relative uniform degradation and low ion releasing rate. In summary, the combination of hot extrusion and heat treatment could optimize the mechanical property and cytocompatibility of the Mg-Zn-Y-Nd alloy together, which is beneficial for the future application of the alloy.