Flow-induced corrosion of absorbable magnesium alloy: In-situ and real-time electrochemical study

[Display omitted] •An in-situ and real-time electrochemical monitoring of flow-induced corrosion of Mg alloy is designed in a vascular bioreactor.•Effect of hydrodynamics on corrosion kinetics, types, rates and products is analyzed.•Flow accelerates mass and electron transfer, leading to an increase in uniform and localized corrosions.•Flow increases not only the thickness of uniform corrosion product layer, but the removal rate of localized corrosion products.•Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and linear polarization-measured polarization resistances provide a consistent correlation to corrosion rate calculated by computed tomography. An in-situ and real-time electrochemical study in a vascular bioreactor was designed to analyze corrosion mechanism of magnesium alloy (MgZnCa) under mimetic hydrodynamic conditions. Effect of hydrodynamics on corrosion kinetics, types, rates and products was analyzed. Flow-induced shear stress (FISS) accelerated mass and electron transfer, leading to an increase in uniform and localized corrosions. FISS increased the thickness of uniform corrosion layer, but filiform corrosion decreased this layer resistance at high FISS conditions. FISS also increased the removal rate of localized corrosion products. Impedance-estimated and linear polarization-measured polarization resistances provided a consistent correlation to corrosion rate calculated by computed tomography.