Microstructural Evolution and Biodegradation Response of Mg–2Zn–0.5Nd Alloy During Tensile and Compressive Deformation

The effect of deformation behavior on the in vitro corrosion rate of Mg–2Zn–0.5Nd alloy was investigated experimentally after uniaxial tensile and compressive stress. The microstructure and texture were characterized using electron backscattered diffraction and X-ray diffraction, while potentiodynamic polarization and immersion tests were used to investigate the corrosion response after deformation. The result reveals that applied compressive stress has more dominant effect on the corrosion rate of Mg–2Zn–0.5Nd alloy as compared to tensile stress. Both tensile and compressive strains introduce dislocation slip and deformation twins in the alloy, thereby accelerating the corrosion rate due to the increased stress corrosion related to dislocation slips and deformation twins. The {10 1 ¯ 2} tension twinning and prismatic slip were the major contributors to tensile deformation while basal slip, and {10 1 ¯ 2} tension twin were obtainable during compressive deformation. The twinning activity after deformation increases with the plastic strain and this correlates with the degradation rate.