In vitro corrosion of magnesium alloy AZ31 --- a synergetic influence of glucose and Tris

Biodegradable Mg alloys have generated great interest for biomedical applications. Accurate predictions of in vivo degradation of Mg alloys through cost-effective in vitro evaluations require the latter to be conducted in an environment close to that of physiological scenarios. However, the roles of glucose and buffering agents in regulating the in vitro degradation performance of Mg alloys has not been elucidated. Herein, degradation behavior of AZ31 alloy is investigated by hydrogen evolution measurements, pH monitoring and electrochemical tests. Results indicate that glucose plays a content-dependent role in degradation of AZ31 alloy in buffer-free saline solution. The presence of a low concentration of glucose, i.e. 1.0 g/L, decreases the corrosion rate of Mg alloy AZ31, whereas the presence of 2.0 and 3.0 g/L glucose accelerates the corrosion rate during long term immersion in saline solution. In terms of Tris-buffered saline solution, the addition of glucose increases pH value and promotes pitting corrosion or general corrosion of AZ31 alloy. This study provides a novel perspective to understand the bio-corrosion of Mg alloys in buffering agents and glucose containing solutions.