Impact of pH and chloride content on the biodegradation of magnesium alloys for medical implants: An in vitro and phase-field study
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The individual contributions of pH and chloride concentration to the corrosion kinetics of bioabsorbable magnesium (Mg) alloys remain unresolved despite their significant roles as driving factors in Mg corrosion. This study demonstrates and quantifies hitherto unknown separate effects of pH and chloride content on the corrosion of Mg alloys pertinent to biomedical implant applications. The experimental setup designed for this purpose enables the quantification of the dependence of corrosion on pH and chloride concentration. The in vitro tests conclusively demonstrate that variations in chloride concentration, relevant to biomedical applications, have a negligible effect on corrosion kinetics. The findings identify pH as a critical factor in the corrosion of bioabsorbable Mg alloys. A variationally consistent phase-field model is developed for assessing the degradation of Mg alloys in biological fluids. The model accurately predicts the corrosion performance of Mg alloys observed during the experiments, including their dependence on pH and chloride concentration. The capability of the framework to account for mechano-chemical effects during corrosion is demonstrated in practical orthopedic applications considering bioabsorbable Mg alloy implants for bone fracture fixation and porous scaffolds for bone tissue engineering. The strategy has the potential to assess the in vitro and in vivo service life of bioabsorbable Mg-based biomedical devices.
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The challenge of rapid Mg alloy degradation is particularly acute in osteoporotic fractures, where slow healing necessitates prolonged mechanical support and elevated ROS and acidic pH may exacerbate matrix corrosion.
“This challenge is particularly acute in the treatment of osteoporotic fractures, where the slow healing process necessitates prolonged mechanical support from the implant, while the elevated levels of ROS and acidic pH in the local microenvironment may exacerbate matrix corrosion40,41.”
From Intelligence-responsive wettability switch coating on magnesium implants for treating osteoporotic fracture (2026) · cites this paper as [41]
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Qi, G., Ma, T., Wang, Y., Chen, K., Yan, Y., Li, Z., Deng, N., Tseng, C., Li, B., Zheng, Y., et al. (2026) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-026-72683-3 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
“This challenge is particularly acute in the treatment of osteoporotic fractures, where the slow healing process necessitates prolonged mechanical support from the implant, while theelevatedlevelsofROSandacidicpHinthelocalmicroenvironment may exacerbate matrix corrosion 40,41 .”
- Authors
- Kovacevic, S., Ali, W., Mandal, T. K., Martínez-Pañeda, E., & LLorca, J.
- Affiliations
- IMDEA Materials (ES)
- University of Oxford (GB)
- Madrid Institute for Advanced Studies (ES)
- Corresponding author
- LLorca, Javier
- Venue
- Acta Biomaterialia
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2025-05
- Volume
- 198
- Pages
- 546-565
- ISSN
- 1742-7061 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4409224697
- Cited by
- 31
- References
- 81
- Citations by year
- 2026: 24 · 2025: 7
- FWCI
- 6.46
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Acta Biomaterialia (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- arXiv (Cornell University) (submittedVersion)
- arXiv (Cornell University)
- Funders
- National Plan for Scientific and Technical Research and Innovation (PID2021-124389OB-C21)
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (MR/V024124/1)
- Horizon Europe
- The Royal Society (NIF/R1/221159)
- HORIZON EUROPE European Innovation Council
- UK Research and Innovation
- Topics
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Biomaterials › Magnesium Alloys: Properties and Applications
- Physical Sciences › Materials Science › Materials Chemistry › Titanium Alloys Microstructure and Properties
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Magnesium in Health and Disease
- Keywords
- magnesium alloys, bioabsorbable implants, corrosion kinetics, pH dependence, chloride concentration, phase-field model, in vitro corrosion testing, fracture fixation, bone scaffolds, orthopedic implants, service life prediction
- MeSH terms
- Alloys, Biocompatible Materials, Chlorides, Corrosion, Hydrogen-Ion Concentration, Magnesium, Materials Testing, Prostheses and Implants, Absorbable Implants
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