Synthesis, Microstructures, Mechanical, and Corrosion Behavior of FeMn(35−x)–x (Cu, W, and Co)-Based Biodegradable Alloys Prepared by Mechanical Alloying and Selective Laser Melting

A tri-metallic combination of FeMn 35− x x at. pct (Cu, W, and Co, x = 0 and 3) biodegradable alloys was successfully synthesized by mechanical alloying (5 h) and consolidated by selective laser melting (SLM). SLM is an additive manufacturing process through which complex products can be fabricated for applications in several sectors including biomedical. The synthesized powders and consolidated samples were characterized using XRD, optical microscope, and FEG-SEM equipped with EBSD technique. Detailed microstructural evolution, mechanical, and corrosion behaviors were investigated in this study. The XRD results of the synthesized powders confirmed the formation of the designed alloys without the formation of intermetallic compounds; austenite and ferrite phases were observed in the SLM-processed samples. SLM-processed samples were produced with more than 88.8 pct of theoretical density indicating the soundness. The FeMn 32 W 3 biodegradable alloy exhibited the highest compressive yield strength of approximately 747 ± 1 MPa which was 1.4 times higher than FeMn 32 Cu 3 alloy. Corrosion tests showed that the corrosion rate of FeMn containing W and Co alloys was much lower than that of the pure FeMn 35 alloy owing to the lower content of these elements resulting in increased standard potential of Fe–Mn elements and decreased corrosion rate.