Phase Formation, Microstructure and Mechanical Properties of Mg₆₇Ag₃₃ as Potential Biomaterial

Abstract

The phase and microstructure formation as well as mechanical properties of the rapidly solidified Mg67Ag33 (at. %) alloy were investigated. Owing to kinetic constraints effective during rapid cooling, the formation of equilibrium phases is suppressed. Instead, the microstructure is mainly composed of oversaturated hexagonal closest packed Mg-based dendrites surrounded by a mixture of phases, as probed by X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. A possible non-equilibrium phase diagram is suggested. Mainly because of the fine-grained dendritic and interdendritic microstructure, the material shows appreciable mechanical properties, such as a compressive yield strength and Young’s modulus of 245 ± 5 MPa and 63 ± 2 GPa, respectively. Due to this low Young’s modulus, the Mg67Ag33 alloy has potential for usage as biomaterial and challenges ahead, such as biomechanical compatibility, biodegradability and antibacterial properties are outlined.

Keywords

• Mg–Ag-based alloy
• metastable phase formation
• microstructure
• mechanical properties
• biomaterial