The influence of gold alloying on the structure and properties of the NZ30K magnesium alloy

Abstract

In this work, was conducted research to improve the structure and properties of cast magnesium alloy NZ30K by doping with gold, for use in osteosynthesis. Gold is a safe alloying element for the human body. The effect of alloying 0.05%, 0.1% and 0.2% Au of magnesium alloy NZ30K was investigated in this work. A qualitative and quantitative assessment of the structural components of the alloy was carried out. It was shown that gold was part of the complex doped intermetallic phases, which were additional centers of crystallization. It was established that the optimal complex of properties is achieved by introducing 0.1%Au. At the same time, the average grain size is reduced by 52.4% compared to the original alloy. It was found that for the NZ30K+0.1%Au alloy, simultaneous increase in the strength limit by 7.8% and increase in the relative elongation by almost two times was observed. It was investigated the possibility of using a biodegradable magnesium alloy in the manufacture of fixators during osteosynthesis, biocorrosion processes. It was found that the addition of 0.1% Au slows down the biocorrosion processes and contributes to maintaining a high level of strength limit (σB = 200MPa) after exposure for 6 months in a gelofusin solution. Therefore, gold is a promising material for improving the structure and improving the properties of biodegradable magnesium alloy implants. Keywords: NZ30K, gold, biodegradable implants, microstructure, X-ray spectral microanalysis, mechanical properties, biocorrosion.