Effects of hydroxyapatite content on mechanical properties and in-vitro corrosion behavior of ZK60/HA composites

In this study, hydroxyapatite-reinforced ZK60 Mg alloybased composites were fabricated via a powder metallurgy route. The mechanical properties of these composites were studied by compressive tests and hardness tests. The in-vitro corrosion behavior was also investigated using immersion testing and electrochemical measurement. The influence of hydroxyapatite content on the mechanical properties and invitro corrosion behavior was evaluated. The microstructure and corrosion morphology were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction, optical and scanning electron microscopy. The results showed that the composite materials with 10 wt.% hydroxyapatite exhibited a better combination of mechanical strength and corrosion resistance. Compared with ZK60 alloy, the addition of 10 wt.% hydroxyapatite resulted in an increase in corrosion resistance by 38.6%.