Initial formation of corrosion products on pure zinc in simulated body fluid

Zinc was recently suggested to be a potential candidate material for degradable coronary artery stent. The corrosion behavior of pure zinc exposed to r-SBF up to 336 h was investigated by electrochemical measurements and immersion tests. The morphology and chemical composites of the corrosion products were investigated by scanning electron microscope, grazing-incidence X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectrometer. The results demonstrate that the initial corrosion products on the pure zinc mainly consist of zinc oxide/hydroxide and zinc/calcium phosphate compounds. The pure Zn encounters uniform corrosion with an estimated corrosion rate of 0.02-0.07 mm y−1 during the immersion, which suggests the suitability of pure Zn for biomedical applications.