Some Tribological Aspects of Mg-0.5Ca-xY Biodegradable Materials

Biodegradable materials are a further development of new medical applications, such as orthopedic implants and vascular stents, or the tissue scaffold. The variety of alloying elements introduced into magnesium alloys lead to superior corrosion resistance and mechanical properties similar to the biological bone. From a mechanical point of view, increasing the percentage of calcium leads to decreased strength and elongation resistance, and Yttrium addition greatly improves tensile strength and favors a slower degradation process. Three different Mg-0.5Ca-xY alloys were obtained, varying the concentration of the Y-element. The Mg-0.5Ca-xY system was tested from the point of view of micro-scratch and micro-indentation with three determinations each, obtaining results for Young's mode, micro-hardness, COF and stiffness. These alloys possess mechanical properties for use as orthopaedic applications. As future studies, mechanical properties can be improved by performing heat treatments.