Hydrothermal Synthesis of Protective Coating on Mg Alloy for Degradable Implant Applications

Biodegradable magnesium (Mg) alloys are known as “the new generation of biomedical metal materials”. However, high degradation rates restrict their clinical application. To overcome this issue, a new and simple method for producing of protective coating based on hydrothermal synthesis at 200 °C in 0.5 M NaHCO3 was elaborated. The microstructure, elemental and phase composition of the produced films were examined by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray energy-dispersive spectrometer (EDS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The mechanical strength of the protective coating was evaluated by grid scribing method. The corrosion protection effect was evaluated using linear sweep voltammogram (LSV) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) methods in the simulated body fluid (SBF). Since the corrosion process is accompanied by stoichiometric evolution of hydrogen, the amount of the latter was measured to quantify the overall corrosion rate. Both the coatings morphology and phase composition were sensitive to the treatment duration. The coating formed after 0.5 h was loose and mainly consisted of spherical flower-like Mg5(CO3)4(OH)2·4H2O accompanied by small amounts of Mg(OH)2. The treatment duration of 3 h resulted in a thicker compact coating composed mainly of irregular granular MgCO3 as well as Mg(OH)2. The coating providing the most effective protection and uniform corrosion was achieved by 2 h treatment at 200 °C.