Effect of electrolyte composition and deposition current for Fe/Fe-P electroformed bilayers for biodegradable metallic medical applications

Abstract

With its proven biocompatibility and excellent mechanical properties, iron is an excellent source material for clinical cardiac and vascular applications. However, its relatively low degradation rate limits its use for the healing and remodeling of diseased blood vessels. To address these issues, a multi-purpose fabrication process to develop a bilayer alloy composed of electroformed iron (E-Fe) and iron-phosphorus (Fe-P) was employed. Bilayers of Fe/Fe-P were produced in an electrolytic bath. The effects of electrolyte chemical composition and deposition current density (i_dep) on layer structure and chemical composition were assessed by scanning electron microscopy, electron probe microanalysis, X-ray diffraction and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The corrosion rate was determined by potentiodynamic polarization tests. The bilayers showed an increasing amount of P with increasing NaH₂PO₄·H₂O in the electrolyte. Fe-P structure became finer for higher P amounts. Potentiodynamic polarization tests revealed that the corrosion rate was strongly influenced by deposition conditions. For a P amount of ~2 wt.%, the corrosion rate was 1.46mm/year, which confirms the potential of this material to demonstrate high mechanical properties and a suitable corrosion rate for biomedical applications.

Keywords: Biodegradable metals; Electrodeposition; Electroforming; Electron dispersive X-ray spectrometry; Fe-P alloys; Fe-based alloys; Microanalysis; Pure Fe; Scanning electron microscopy; X-ray diffractometry.