Facile fabrication of Mg-based coating to improve the biodegradable behavior and cytocompatibility of pure zinc

Recently, zinc and its alloys have been introduced as potential metal candidates for biodegradable implant applications with an ideal degradation rate. In the study, Mg-based coating was fabricated on pure zinc to improve its corrosion rate and cytocompatibility by facile chemical deposition for the first time. The microstructure and composition of the coating was analyzed by SEM and XPS, respectively. The corrosion behavior was investigated by electrochemical and immersion tests. The SEM showed that the substrate was covered with crystal particles. The main compositions of the coating were ZnO, Mg3P2, Mg7Zn3 and Mg3(PO4)2, as indicated by EDS, XRD and XPS analysis. The electrochemical test and pH measurement showed that the Mg-based coating could reduce the corrosion rate of pure zinc. In vitro cell adhesion test revealed that the Mg-based coating significantly promoted the BMSC cell attachment on the surface of samples. It was suggested that the Mg-based coating was believed to be a candidate coating for implant application. •Mg-contained coating was successfully fabricated on pure zinc for the first time.•The ability to deposit calcium and phosphate on the zinc surface was enhanced by the Mg-contained coating.•The Mg-containing conversion coating could promote BMSCs cell adhesion on the surface.