Effects of Li addition on the properties of biodegradable Zn–Fe–Li alloy: Microstructure, mechanical properties, corrosion behavior, and cytocompatibility

Abstract

Biodegradable Zn-based alloys have excellent mechanical properties, a good corrosion rate, and favorable biocompatibility, which have broad application prospects. In this study, new biodegradable Zn-0.5Fe-xLi (x = 0, 0.2, 0.5, 0.8 wt%) alloys were successively prepared by melting and hot extrusion, and the effects of Li content on the microstructure, mechanical properties, corrosion behavior, and biocompatibility of the alloys were investigated. The formation of FeZn13 and eutectic LiZn4 phases in the Zn-0.5Fe-xLi alloys and the grain size of the Zn-0.5Fe-0.5Li alloys significantly reduced with an increase in Li content. The synergistic effect of solid solution and grain refinement of Li significantly improved the strength of the Zn-0.5Fe-0.5Li alloy and ensured the ductility of the alloy, which resulted in its optimum overall performance. The yield strength was 353.6 ± 6.8 MPa, the ultimate tensile strength was 441.9 ± 2.6 MPa, and the elongation was 26.8 ± 0.8%. In addition, the Zn-0.5Fe-0.5Li alloy showed excellent corrosion properties. The electrochemical corrosion rate was 0.735 mm/year, and the surface corrosion degradation morphology was uniform after immersion. The Zn-0.5Fe-0.5Li alloy also demonstrated the most favorable in vitro cytocompatibility in cellular experiments. Overall, the extruded Zn-0.5Fe-0.5Li alloy is a promising biodegradable implant material with excellent mechanical properties, a suitable corrosion rate, and good cytocompatibility.