Microstructure and mechanical properties of biodegradable Zn-2Cu-0.1Ti alloy for orthopedic applications

Bioresorbable implants are intended to be biocompatible, mechanically stable, and to corrode gradually in response to an appropriate host response. In this work, a Zn-2Cu-0.1Ti (ZCT) alloy was fabricated by a combi-nation of casting and hot-rolling. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed the presence of both TiZn16 phase and a CuZn4 phase in the alloy. ZCT showed an extraordinary increase in yield strength compared with the unalloyed Zn to 248 MPa (from 100 MPa) and a similar elongation to failure (33-34%). The alloy also possesses a relatively low corrosion rate when immersed in simulated body fluid. The 50 % extract of ZCT alloy exhibits excellent biocompatibility for MC3T3-E1 cells. These results indicate that the ZCT alloy has potential for clinical applications.