Mechanical properties and biodegradation of porous Zn-1Al alloy scaffolds

Biodegradable porous Zn-1Al alloy scaffolds were fabricated by air pressure infiltration method (APIM) for biomedical applications. The grains of porous Zn-1Al alloy scaffold are significantly refined due to the addition of Al. Tiny (Al) solid solution particles uniformly disperse in the grains of Zn matrix. Under the combined effect of grain size reduction and (Al) solid solution particles dispersion strengthening, the compressive yield strength of the porous alloy scaffolds is improved remarkably. During immersion tests in simulated body fluid (SBF), the porous Zn-1Al alloy scaffold can effectively induce Ca-P precipitation. In addition, the porous alloy scaffold has a lower degradation rate than the porous pure Zn scaffold in SBF. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.