The Effect of Alumina and Hydroxyapatite Content on Morphology and Mechanical Properties of Mg Hybrid Composite for Biodegradable Implants Materials

Abstract

In biomedical applications, Magnesium (Mg) as a biodegradable implant material becomes one of the most potential candidates for temporary implants and has attracted much people’s attraction. It is because Mg is a light weight, non-toxic and able to degrade in human body. The aim of this research is to investigate the effect of hydroxyapatite(HA) and alumina (Al2O3) content on morphology and mechanical properties of Mg hybrid composite for biodegradable implants materials. Several of Al2O3 contents (i.e., 0, 5, 10, and 15 wt. %) were introduced in forming the Mg-Zn/HA/Al2O3 hybrid composite. The powder mixture of hybrid composite was milled separately in a planetary mill under gas argon atmosphere using a stainless steel container and balls. The powder was milled at 220 rpm for 1 hours and 3% of n-heptane solution was added prior to milling process to avoid the excessive cold welding of the powder. The powder was compacted under 400MPa and sintered with sintering temperature 300°C in a tube furnace for 1hour under the flow of argon. The results show that the sintered compacts were dispersed by uniform Al2O3 powder corresponding to white distribution of particles, as shown in the micrograph. As the Al2O3 content was increased to 15 wt. %, the mechanical properties such as hardness and compression test was improved.