The effect of the Ca₂Mg₆Zn₃ phase on the corrosion behavior of biodegradable Mg-4.0Zn-0.2Mn-xCa (ZM-xCa, x = 0.1, 0.3, 0.5 and 1.0 wt.%) alloys in Hank’s solution was investigated with respect to phase spacing, morphology, distribution and volume fraction. With the increase in Ca addition, the volume fraction of the Ca₂Mg₆Zn₃ phase increased from 2.5% to 7.6%, while its spacing declined monotonically from 43 μm to 30 μm. The Volta potentials of secondary phases relative to the Mg matrix were measured by using scanning kelvin probe force microscopy (SKPFM). The results show that the Volta potential of the intragranular spherical Ca₂Mg₆Zn₃ phase (+109 mV) was higher than that of the dendritic Ca₂Mg₆Zn₃ phase (+80 mV). It is suggested that the Ca₂Mg₆Zn₃ acted as a cathode to accelerate the corrosion process due to the micro-galvanic effect. The corrosion preferred to occur around the spherical Ca₂Mg₆Zn₃ phase at the early stage and developed into the intragranular region. The corrosion rate increased slightly with increasing Ca content from 0.1 wt.% to 0.5 wt.% because of the enhanced micro-galvanic corrosion effect. The decrease in the phase spacing and sharp increase in the secondary phase content resulted in a dramatic increase in the corrosion rate of the ZM-1.0Ca alloy.

Due to their excellent mechanical properties and large specific surface area, graphene and its derivatives are widely used in metal matrix composites as reinforcements. In this study, the thermal reduction behavior of large-size graphene oxide are investigated systematically, and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) with few residual oxygen groups and good structural integrity is obtained. ZK61 matrix composites with varying content of in situ RGO are fabricated using the semi-powder metallurgy method. The results reveal that the addition of RGO can cause the refinement of the grains and the second phase, which is attributed to the uniform distribution of the RGO throughout the matrix. The formation of nano-MgO particles is beneficial in increasing the interfacial bonding strength between the RGO and the matrix, resulting in simultaneous increments in yield strength and elongation in the RGO/ZK61 composites. The composite containing 0.6 wt.% RGO shows a superior mechanical property, including microhardness of 79.9 HV, yield strength of 203 MPa and excellent elongation of 17.5%, with increases of 20.9%, 8.6% and 7.4%, respectively, when compared with the ZK61 alloy. Quantitative analysis indicates that the main strengthening mechanisms of RGO-reinforced magnesium matrix composites are load transfer strengthening and grain refinement strengthening.