Additively manufactured and surface textured Mg containing high entropy alloys for biomedical applications

Abstract

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) are promising materials for biomedical applications due to their outstanding corrosion resistance, high strength-to-weight ratios, favorable wear behavior, and emerging biocompatibility. However, their limitations include complex phase formation, challenges in maintaining compositional homogeneity and controlling elemental evaporation during processing, and difficulties associated with large-scale manufacturing. Additive manufacturing enables the design and fabrication of intricate HEA structures, while surface texturing enhances biocompatibility by improving cell adhesion, proliferation, and antibacterial activity. This review focuses on the potential of additively manufactured and surface-textured Mg-containing HEAs for biomedical applications. Mg-containing HEAs fabricated through selective laser melting have demonstrated tensile strengths exceeding 400 MPa, along with corrosion rates approximately 30% lower than those of conventionally processed alloys. In addition, surface texturing techniques, such as laser ablation, have been shown to significantly enhance osteoblast adhesion in-vitro studies. The article reviews the fundamentals of HEAs, additive manufacturing techniques including selective laser melting and electron beam melting, and advanced surface texturing approaches such as laser ablation and anodization. It highlights how these strategies influence mechanical performance, including tensile and fatigue behavior, as well as biomedical characteristics such as biodegradability and biocompatibility. Key challenges related to process optimization, microstructural complexity, and potential cytotoxicity of specific alloying elements are discussed. Future research directions emphasize advanced modeling, process control, and the integration of bioactive surface modifications to further improve the performance of Mg-containing HEAs. Overall, additively manufactured and surface-textured Mg-containing HEAs represent a promising pathway toward next-generation biomedical devices that combine structural reliability with biological functionality.