Magnesium and its alloys are intriguing as possible biodegradable biomaterials due to their unique combination of biodegradability and high specific mechanical properties. However, uncontrolled biodegradation of magnesium during implantation remains a major challenge in spite of the use of alloying and protective coatings. In this study, a hybrid composite structure of magnesium metal and a biopolymer was fabricated as an alternative approach to control the corrosion rate of magnesium. A multistep process that combines metal foam production and injection molding was developed to create a hybrid composite structure that is topologically ordered in all three dimensions. Preliminary investigations of the mechanical properties and corrosion behavior exhibited by the hybrid Mg-polymer composite structures suggest a new potential approach to the development of Mg-based biomedical devices.
@article{arxiv.1611.04923,
title = {Topologically ordered magnesium-biopolymer hybrid composite structures},
author = {Reece N. Oosterbeek and Christopher K. Seal and Mark P. Staiger and Margaret M. Hyland},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1611.04923},
year = {2016}
}