Iron-based substrates with polyethylene glycol coating were prepared as possible materials for biodegradable orthopedic implants. Biodegradable materials that provide mechanical support of the diseased tissue at the time of implanting and then disappear gradually during the healing process are sometimes favored instead of permanent implants. The implant degradation rate should match the time of the tissue regrowth. In this work, the degradation behavior of iron-based foams was studied electrochemically during immersion tests in Hanks’ solution. The corrosion rate of the polyethylene glycol-coated samples increased and the corrosion potential shifted to more negative values. This indicates an enhanced degradation rate as compared to the uncoated material, fulfilling the goal of being able to tune the degradation rate. It is the interfacial interaction between the hydrophilic polymer layer and the iron surface that is responsible for the enhanced oxidation rate of iron.

Research in the field of biodegradable metallic scaffolds has advanced during the last decades. Resorbable implants based on iron have become an attractive alternative to the temporary devices made of inert metals. Overcoming an insufficient corrosion rate of pure iron, though, still remains a problem. In our work, we have prepared iron foams and coated them with three different concentrations of polyethyleneimine (PEI) to increase their corrosion rates. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) coupled with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and Raman spectroscopy were used for characterization of the polymer coating. The corrosion behavior of the powder-metallurgically prepared samples was evaluated electrochemically using an anodic polarization method. A 12 weeks long in vitro degradation study in Hanks’ solution at 37 °C was also performed. Surface morphology, corrosion behavior, and degradation rates of the open-cell foams were studied and discussed. The use of PEI coating led to an increase in the corrosion rates of the cellular material. The sample with the highest concentration of PEI film showed the most rapid corrosion in the environment of simulated body fluids.

Iron and iron-phosphorus open-cell foams were manufactured by a replica method based on a powder metallurgical approach to serve as a temporary biodegradable bone replacement material. Iron foams alloyed with phosphorus were prepared with the aim of enhancing the mechanical properties and manipulating the corrosion rate. Two different types of Fe-P foams containing 0.5 wt.% of P were prepared: Fe-P(I) foams from a phosphated carbonyl iron powder and Fe-P(II) foams from a mixture of carbonyl iron and commercial Fe₃P. The microstructure of foams was analyzed using scanning electron microscopy. The mechanical properties and the corrosion behaviour were studied by compression tests and potentiodynamic polarization in Hank’s solution and a physiological saline solution. The results showed that the manufactured foams exhibited an open, interconnected, microstructure similar to that of a cancellous bone. The presence of phosphorus improved the mechanical properties of the foams and decreased the corrosion rate as compared to pure iron foams.

Advances in biomedicine and development of modern technologies in the last century have fostered the improvement in human longevity and well-being. This progress simultaneously initiated the need for novel biomaterials. Recently, degradable metallic biomaterials have attracted serious attention in scientific and clinical research owing to their utilization in some specific applications. This work investigates the effect of the polyethylene glycol (PEG) coating of open-cell iron and phosphorus/iron foams on their microstructure and corrosion properties. The addition of phosphorus causes a slight increase in pore size and the deposition of a polymer coating results in a smoothened surface and a moderate decrease in pore diameter. The PEG coating leads to an increase in corrosion rates in both foams and potentially a more desirable product.