The current trends of Mg alloys in biomedical applications—A review

• Published in: Journal of biomedical materials research. Part B, Applied biomaterials Vol. 107; no. 6; pp. 1970 - 1996
• Main Authors: Riaz, Usman, Shabib, Ishraq, Haider, Waseem
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Hoboken, USA John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.08.2019; Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
• Subjects: alloy development; Biocompatibility; Biodegradability; Biodegradable materials; Biodegradation; Biomedical materials; Complications; computational models; Computer applications; Corrosion resistance; Design modifications; Magnesium; Magnesium base alloys; Materials research; Materials science; Mathematical models; Mechanical properties; Surface treatment; Surgical implants; Transplants & implants; Trends; computational models; alloy development; biodegradation; surface treatment
• ISSN: 1552-4973; 1552-4981
• DOI: 10.1002/jbm.b.34290

Magnesium (Mg) has emerged as an ideal alternative to the permanent implant materials owing to its enhanced properties such as biodegradation, better mechanical strengths than polymeric biodegradable materials and biocompatibility. It has been under investigation as an implant material both in cardiovascular and orthopedic applications. The use of Mg as an implant material reduces the risk of long‐term incompatible interaction of implant with tissues and eliminates the second surgical procedure to remove the implant, thus minimizes the complications. The hurdle in the extensive use of Mg implants is its fast degradation rate, which consequently reduces the mechanical strength to support the implant site. Alloy development, surface treatment, and design modification of implants are the routes that can lead to the improved corrosion resistance of Mg implants and extensive research is going on in all three directions. In this review, the recent trends in the alloying and surface treatment of Mg have been discussed in detail. Additionally, the recent progress in the use of computational models to analyze Mg bioimplants has been given special consideration. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater 107B: 1970–1996, 2019.