Preliminary validation of a dynamic electrochemical biodegradation test bench in pseudo-physiological conditions

Abstract

There is a growing interest in the development of next-generation stent materials. In vitro tests that accurately predict in vivo conditions are desired. In this manuscript, a novel approach for the design of a dynamic electrochemical test bench is evaluated for potential characterisation of biodegradable metallic stent materials. The designed dynamic test bench allows for real-time corrosion testing with easy variation of temperature, shear stress and simulated body fluids (SBF), with minimal complications of test sample fabrication. Preliminary tests have shown Tafel generation is feasible and stable. Effect of SBF, shear stress and temperature were evaluated. Variances in the dynamic test bench were higher with the incorporation of temperature and shear stress, with no notable difference between SBF. This dynamic test bench showed to be relatively stable under temperature and SBF modification; however, further optimisation is needed to decrease variances seen throughout fluid velocity analysis.