Influence of solid-solution treatment on microstructure, mechanical property and corrosion behavior of biodegradable Mg-Zn-Ca alloy

The influence of solid-solution treatment on microstructure, mechanical property and corrosion behavior of Mg-Zn-Ca alloy was studied in the present investigation by SEM, tensile test, electrochemical and immersion test. The results show that the microstructure of Mg alloys after solid solution treatment significantly changed, a large number of the second phase (Ca2Mg6Zn3, Mg2Ca) dissolved into the alpha-Mg matrix reaching a supersaturated state, and the grains size was bigger than before solid solution treatment; the mechanical properties were obviously improved. In particular the tensile strength of 0.5wt.% Ca of Mg alloy reached 220MPa and the ductility reached 16.6%. Compared with the as-cast Mg alloys, the corrosion potential after solid-solution treatment slightly shifted negative, but the corrosion current density significantly decreased. After solid solution treatment, the surface corrosion was not serious and the result of weight gain was lower compared with those of the as-cast Mg alloys.