A novel approach to fabricate Zn coating on Mg foam through a modified thermal evaporation technique

Zn enriched coatings with distinct microstructures and properties were fabricated on Mg foams by a modified thermal evaporation technique using a tubular resistance furnace. As the temperature and kinetic energy of Zn vapor varied along the tubular system, a spatial variation of preparation conditions was created and the obtained coatings were found to follow two growth mechanisms: a thermal diffusion pattern in high-temperature zone and the a relatively low-temperature deposition model. A Zn-based deposition coating with dense texture and nearly uniform structure was acquired while Mg foam was placed 20 cm far from the evaporation source, where the Zn vapor deposition model dominated the coating growth. Mechanical properties and bio-corrosion behaviors of the samples were investigated. Results showed that the Zn coatings brought dramatic improvements in compression strength, but exhibited differently in biodegradation performance. It was confirmed that the diffusion layer accelerated corrosion of Mg foam due to the galvanic effect, while the Zn-based deposition coating displayed excellent anti-corrosion performance, showing great potential as bone implant materials. This technique provides a novel and convenient approach to tailor the biodegradability of Mg foams for biomedical applications.