Degradation, stress corrosion cracking behavior and cytocompatibility of high strain rate rolled Mg-Zn-Sr alloys

[Display omitted] •Biocorrosion resistance and cytocompatibility are improved by HSRR and Sr addition.•Minor Sr enhances SCC resistance and reduces SCC susceptibility of wrought Mg alloys.•High microstructural homogeneity and the dense corrosion film retard corrosion. The major obstacle of Mg alloys to the clinical applications is their rapid degradation behavior. In the present study, high strain rate rolling (HSRR) and Sr micro-alloying are conducted to improve bio-corrosion & stress corrosion cracking (SCC) resistance, reduce SCC susceptibility and enhance cytocompatibility of Mg-4Zn alloy. The effects on bio-corrosion & SCC resistance improvement are more pronounced with the higher Sr content (≤0.2%), attributable to grain refinement, the enhanced microstructural homogeneity and the more compact corrosion film. Sr addition can promote the cell growth at the early stage and improve the cell adhesion ability.