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Structural characteristics and corrosion behavior of biodegradable Mg–Zn, Mg–Zn–Gd alloys

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Abstract

In this research, binary Mg–Zn (up to 3 wt% Zn) and ternary Mg–Zn–Gd (up to 3 wt% Gd, 3 wt% Zn) alloys were prepared by induction melting in an argon atmosphere. The structures of these alloys were characterized using light and scanning electron microscopy, energy dispersive spectrometry, X-ray diffraction and X-ray fluorescence. In addition, Brinell hardness measurements were taken to supplement these studies. Corrosion behavior was evaluated by immersion tests and potentiodynamic measurements in a physiological solution (9 g/l NaCl). Depending on the composition, structures of the as-cast alloys contained α-Mg dendrites, MgZn, Mg5Gd and Mg3Gd2Zn3 phases. Compared to pure Mg, zinc improved the corrosion resistance of binary Mg–Zn. Gadolinium also improved the corrosion resistance in the case of Mg–1Zn–3Gd alloy. The highest corrosion rate was observed for Mg–3Zn–3Gd alloy. Our results improve the understanding of the relationships between the structure and corrosion behavior of our studied alloy systems.

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Acknowledgments

Authors wish to thank the Czech Science Foundation (Project no. P108/12/G043) for the financial support.

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  1. Department of Metals and Corrosion Engineering, Institute of Chemical Technology, Prague, Technická 5, 166 28, Prague 6, Czech Republic

    J. Kubásek & D. Vojtěch

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  1. J. Kubásek
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Correspondence to J. Kubásek.

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Kubásek, J., Vojtěch, D. Structural characteristics and corrosion behavior of biodegradable Mg–Zn, Mg–Zn–Gd alloys. J Mater Sci: Mater Med 24, 1615–1626 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10856-013-4916-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10856-013-4916-3

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