In vitro corrosion-fatigue behaviour of rare-earth containing magnesium WE43 in sterile complex cell culture medium

Rare-earth containing magnesium alloys are promising biomedical materials for a new generation of biodegradable orthopaedic implant systems due to their excellent biocompatibility, mechanical and biodegradation properties. However, chemo-mechanical interactions in aggressive physiological corrosion environments result in rapid degradation and early loss of mechanical integrity, limiting its broader application for orthopaedic implants. To date, only few studies have assessed the corrosion-fatigue behaviour of medical-grade magnesium alloys in an organic physiological corrosion environment, especially under sterile test conditions. In the present work, the corrosion-fatigue behaviour of fine-grained medical-grade magnesium alloy WE43MEO was systematically analysed under in vitro conditions using an organic physiological fluid DMEM. The experimental results showed that the fatigue strength of the alloy is nearly unaffected by a 1-day precorrosion, while a 7-day precorrosion resulted in a significant deterioration of mechanical integrity. In corrosion-fatigue experiments, the fatigue life was considerably reduced by interactions between corrosion and fatigue damages. The SEM analysis revealed that the mixed mode of intergranular and transgranular fracture in the crack propagation zone transits to intergranular cracking dominant mode under the corrosion-fatigue conditions due to hydrogen embrittlement.