Revealing the Effects of Microarc Oxidation on the Mechanical and Degradation Properties of Mg-Based Biodegradable Composites

Muhammad Shoaib Butt; Adnan Maqbool; Mohsin Saleem; Malik Adeel Umer; Farhan Javaid; Rizwan Ahmed Malik; Muhammad Asif Hussain; Zabdur Rehman

doi:10.1021/acsomega.0c00836

Revealing the Effects of Microarc Oxidation on the Mechanical and Degradation Properties of Mg-Based Biodegradable Composites

ACS Omega. 2020 Jun 3;5(23):13694-13702. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.0c00836. eCollection 2020 Jun 16.

Authors

Muhammad Shoaib Butt¹, Adnan Maqbool², Mohsin Saleem¹, Malik Adeel Umer¹, Farhan Javaid¹, Rizwan Ahmed Malik³, Muhammad Asif Hussain³, Zabdur Rehman⁴

Affiliations

¹ School of Chemical and Materials Engineering (SCME), National University of Sciences and Technology (NUST), Sector H-12, Islamabad 44000, Pakistan.
² Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering (MME), University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Lahore 54890, Pakistan.
³ Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering, University of Engineering and Technology, Taxila 47050, Pakistan.
⁴ Department of Mechanical Engineering, Air University, Sector E-9, Islamabad 44200, Pakistan.

Abstract

To overcome the inherent weakness of polylactic acid (PLA), used as scaffolding materials, multiple samples of Mg/PLA alloy composite materials was made by plastic injection molding. To enhance the interfacial interaction with PLA, magnesium alloy was treated with microarc oxidation (MAO) at four different frequencies, resulting in an improvement in mechanical strength and toughness. The microarc oxidation films consisted mainly of a porous MgO ceramic layer on the Mg rod. Based on the phenomenon of micro-anchoring and electrostatic interaction, a change in frequency during MAO showed considerable improvements in the ductility of the composite materials. The presence of the ceramic layer enriched the interfacial bonding between the Mg rod and outer PLA cladding, resulting in the PLA-clad Mg rod showing a higher tensile strength. In vitro degradation test was carried out in Hank's solution for different time periods. Surface-treated Mg alloy-based composite samples displayed a lower degradation rate as compared to untreated Mg alloy samples. The surface-treated sample at a 800 Hz pulse frequency showed the best degradation resistance and mechanical properties after being immersed in Hank's solution as compared to other samples. Mg-reinforced PLA composite rods are promising candidates for orthopedic implants.