Six new Mg-xZn-yZr-1Y alloys were developed with variations in Zn (1, 3, 5 wt%) and Zr (0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1 wt%) content. The alloy with 3 wt% Zn and 0.5 wt% Zr exhibited the most favourable properties including fine-grain microstructure, superior mechanical performance and enhanced corrosion resistance. This alloy achieved a tensile strength of 201.6 MPa, a yield strength of 80.7 MPa, and a Young’s modulus of 40.4 GPa, with an 11.8% elongation. Corrosion behaviour evaluated through open circuit potential, potentiodynamic polarization, and hydrogen evolution tests, confirmed its excellent corrosion resistance with a corrosion current density of 1.77 µA/cm² and a minimal hydrogen evolution rate (HER) of 0.017 ml·cm−²·hr⁻¹. Increasing the zinc content enhanced the tensile strength but caused a decline in ductility when exceeding 3 wt% attributed to the formation of coarse intermetallic phases. In contrast, higher Zr additions refined the grain structure and improved corrosion resistance particularly at 0.5–1 wt%. The findings underscore the crucial role of Zn and Zr in refining the grain structure and enhancing the overall properties of magnesium alloys for biomedical applications.
Look et al. (Sun,) studied this question.