Development and Characterization of Zn–Mg Biodegradable Materials Using Powder Metallurgy

Zinc-based materials can be potential substitutes for corrosion resistance in magnesium-based implants. Powder metallurgy methods were used to process Zn–1 Mg (1 wt% Mg) and Zn–1 Mg–0.8Mn (1 wt% Mg and 0.8 wt% Mn) which have zinc powders of particle size (45 µm), magnesium powder of particle size (63 µm) and manganese (45 µm) using cold pressing, accompanied by uniform sintering. Vickers microhardness testing was used to examine the mechanical properties. This research work suggests that the mechanical properties of pure zinc are enhanced by alloying magnesium and manganese in a zinc matrix. The compressive strength for zinc was 96 MPa and enhanced to 175 MPa by adding magnesium and up to 205 MPa by adding manganese in the zinc matrix. The microhardness for Zn–1 Mg was 37 HV and for Zn–1 Mg–0.8 Mn 39 HV was observed.