Degradation and Corrosion Behavior of Electrospun PHBV Coated AZ-31 Magnesium Alloy for Biodegradable Implant Applications

The roles of biodegradable materials have been increasing due to its promising and improved features than conventional materials used for biomedical implants. Thus, the need for developing a better biodegradable material is necessary which could deliver better properties for the implants. This present study aims to develop a better biodegradable material where magnesium alloy (AZ-31) chosen as the substrate is surface-modified by annealing followed by a chemical treatment and then PHBV (poly (3-hydroxybutyric acid-co-3-hydrovaleric acid)) having 12% hydroxyvaleric acid content is coated over the modified surface. The coating of the polymer over the sample substrate is done by electrospinning. X-ray diffraction (XRD), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analyses showed successful surface modification and deposition of polymer over the substrate. The degradation behavior of the samples was investigated through immersion studies in simulated body fluid (Hanks’ solution). The FESEM images of the coated samples were identified with fibers on the surface even after the immersion for 21 days. The corrosion studies were carried out by potentiodynamic polarization method which proved coated sample has a better corrosion resistance than the bare metal in the SBF solution. Nano-fibrous PHBV coating combined with surface modification seems to be a promising method to tailor the degradation and improve the corrosion resistance of Mg alloys which can be used as a better material for biomedical implants.