Use of high energy milling and porosity insertion in the development of the Mg-Zn system aiming biomedical applications

The development of metal alloys with porosity controlled by powder metallurgy has shown to be suitable for obtaining biomaterials with the control of mechanical strength and modulus of elasticity, in addition to the possibility of controlling open porosity, which is essential for osseointegration. Magnesium alloys have shown encouraging results when used as tissue engineering scaffolds. Although a considerable number of studies encourage the use of magnesium alloys in bioactive implants for load-bearing in orthopedic applications, a great deal of research effort is still essential to assess in vivo, the long-term capability of such supports. Due to the excellent physical and mechanical properties of magnesium compared to other permanent (non-degradable) elements, porous magnesium alloys have become good candidates to develop biodegradable supports for bone treatments. Porous magnesium alloys could be used in applications where it would be interesting to use a biodegradable metallic material, while maintaining the requirements of mechanical strength, elastic modulus, corrosion resistance and adequate osseointegration. In this work, a new route of processing porous alloys of the MgZn system using high energy milling, via powder metallurgy, will be evaluated.