Achieving high strength and antibacterial Zn−4Ag−Mn alloy with homogenous corrosion behavior via high-pressure solid solution

Abstract

Zn−4Ag−Mn alloy was successfully prepared by high-pressure solid solution (HPS) method to achieve high strength and antibacterial implant materials which can degrade uniformly. Microstructural characterization showed that HPS treatment on Zn−4Ag−Mn alloy resulted in 57.9% grain refinement, and the average size of the second phases was reduced to 10.2 μm compared with as-cast (AC) alloy. The compression, Vickers hardness and wear and friction tests showed particularly high mechanical properties of HPS alloys, including a compressive yield strength of 333.5 MPa and a Vickers hardness of Hv 89.5. Electrochemical corrosion, and immersion corrosion tests showed that HPS treatment optimized the corrosion resistance of the alloy with homogenous corrosion. Furthermore. The HPS-treated Zn−4Ag−Mn alloy exhibited excellent antibacterial properties through antibacterial testing, with an antibacterial rate of 71.6%. These results suggest that the HPS-treated Zn−4Ag−Mn alloy can be considered as a promising biodegradable implant material.