Mechanical properties, degradation performance and cytotoxicity of Mg–Zn–Ca biomedical alloys with different compositions

In this paper, ternary Mg–Zn–Ca magnesium alloys were investigated as degradable biomedical material. Tensile results showed that the mechanical properties of the alloys can be modulated by controlling Zn content. With increasing Zn contents, yield strength (YS), ultimate tensile strength (UTS) and ductility of the materials are increased at first and then decreased. In-vitro corrosion tests in Hank's simulated body fluid presented that the composition and microstructure of Mg–Zn–Ca alloys strongly affected their corrosion behavior. An increasing content of Zn element can lead to a high corrosion potential and bad corrosion resistance. The cytotoxicity evaluated by neutral red kits on L-929 cells revealed that Mg-1.0 Zn-1.0Ca, Mg-2.0 Zn-1.0 Ca, and Mg-3.0 Zn-1.0 Ca alloys did not induce toxicity in cells.

► The mechanical properties of Mg–Zn–Ca alloys can be tailored by the content of the Zn element.
► Increasing content of Zn element led to high corrosion potential, but bad corrosion resistance.
► The influence of the Mg2+ on the cytotoxicity result can be eliminated by using neural red kits.
► The cytotoxicity of Mg–Zn–Ca alloys can be improved by optimized its compositions.