Kuah, K. X., Salehi, M., Blackwood, D. J., Zhang, S. X., Seet, H. L., & Nai, M. L. S. (2025). Understanding the interplay of porosity on the microstructural, mechanical, and corrosion behavior of binder-jet additive-manufactured Mg-Zn-Zr alloy. Materials Science and Engineering: A, 941, 148649. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.msea.2025.148649
Abstract:
Magnesium (Mg), considered a third-generation biomaterial, has seen rapid growth in its
utilization across biomedical applications. The introduction of porosity within Mg alloys results in
a degradation-integrity trade-off dilemma. This study aims to understand how porosity affects the
physical, mechanical, and corrosion behaviour of porous Binder Jet Additive Manufactured
(BJAM) specimens compared to those of conventionally casted Mg-Zn-Zr counterparts. These
insights are gained through a comprehensive analysis involving optical and electron microscopy,
X-ray diffraction, tensile and compression testing, hydrogen evolution, and X-ray computed
tomography. It is found that the microstructure of BJAM samples is uniform in elemental
distribution with no evidence of preferential grain orientations. Compared to cast counterparts, the
increased porosity in BJAM samples conspicuously impairs mechanical properties and corrosion
resistance, albeit to varying extents. Increasing the porosity levels in BJAM samples from 13% to
27% leads to a significant decrease in tensile strength, with reductions of 40% and 70%, and a decline in compressive strength by 11% and 30%. Meanwhile, the corrosion rates exhibit a striking
escalation, increasing by factors of 13 and 38 when compared to the cast samples. These findings
underscore the potential of binder jet additive manufacturing in constructing Mg scaffolds, where
despite the importance of tailored porosity for cell growth and tissue integration, their ability to
provide structural support and control the rate of degradation is also vital.
License type:
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
Funding Info:
This research / project is supported by the A*STAR - Structural and Metal Alloys Programme
Grant Reference no. : A18B1b0061