Effect of Chemical Treatment on the Corrosion Behavior of Mg-2Zn-1Mn (ZM21) Magnesium Alloy

Magnesium alloys have gained interest as biomedical implant materials in dental and orthopedic applications due to their biodegradability and similarities to human bones. However, their high rate of degradation in physiological systems poses a significant challenge for their use. To address this issue, chemical modification is being explored to improve the corrosion resistance of magnesium and its alloys. In this study, they investigated the effects of chemical modification using NaOH and H2O2 on the bioactivity and corrosion resistance of a Mg-2Zn-1Mn (ZM21) magnesium alloy in simulated body fluid (SBF) using advanced techniques such as dynamic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (dynamic EIS), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), potentiodynamic polarization (PDP), atomic force microscopy, and x-ray diffraction (XRD). Results obtained using DEIS measurements after 30 hours showed that the charge transfer resistance of the untreated ZM21 alloy was 229.4, 1226.8 omega cm(2) for the NaOH-treated surface, and 1066.3 omega cm(2) for the H2O2-treated surface. The study found that NaOH is more effective than H2O2 in improving the corrosion resistance of the ZM21 magnesium alloy in simulated body fluid. Additionally, the mechanism of corrosion for both untreated and treated samples in the corrosive environment was investigated and discussed in the study.