Biodegradable metallic materials represent a new class of biocompatible materials for medical applications based on numerous advantages. Among them, those based on zinc have a rate of degradation close to the healing period required by many clinical problems, which makes them more suitable than those based on magnesium or iron. The poor mechanical properties of Zn could be significantly improved by the addition of Mg and Y. In this research, we analyze the electro-chemical and mechanical behavior of a new alloy based on Zn3Mg0.7Y compared with pure Zn and Zn3Mg materials. Microstructure and chemical composition were investigated by electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. The electrochemical corrosion was analyzed by linear polarization (LP), cyclic polarization (CP) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). For hardness and scratch resistance, a microhardness tester and a scratch module were used. Findings revealed that the mechanical properties of Zn improved through the addition of Mg and Y. Zn, Zn-Mg and Zn-Mg-Y alloys in this study showed highly active behavior in SBF with uniform corrosion. Zinc metals and their alloys with magnesium and yttrium showed a moderate degradation rate and can be considered as promising biodegradable materials for orthopedic application.

A new functional Fe-30Mn-5Si-xCu (x = 1.5 and 2 wt%) biomaterial was obtained from the levitation induction melting process and evaluated as a biodegradable material. The degradation characteristics were assessed in vitro using immersion tests in simulated body fluid (SBF) at 37 ± 1 °C, evaluating mass loss, pH variation that occurred in the solution, open circuit potential (OCP), linear and cyclic potentiometry (LP and CP), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and nano-FTIR. To obtain plates as samples, the cast materials were thermo-mechanically processed by hot rolling. Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) was employed to evaluate the thermal properties of the smart material. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used to show the nanometric and microstructural changes during the hot rolling process and DMA solicitations. The type of corrosion identified was generalized corrosion, and over the first 3–5 days, an increase in mass was observed, caused by the compounds formed at the metal–solution interface. The formed compounds were identified mainly as oxides that passed into the immersion liquid. The degradation rate (DR) was obtained as a function of mass loss, sample surface area and immersion duration. The dynamic mechanical behavior and dimensions of the sample were evaluated after 14 days of immersion. The nanocompounds found on the surface after atmospheric corrosion and immersion in SBF were investigated with the Neaspec system using the nano-FTIR technique.