Corrosion mechanisms and protection of magnesium alloys for biomedical applications

Description

Magnesium alloys are increasingly studied for their use in biomedical applications. They are known for their high sensitivity to corrosion which allows them to be considered as absorbable implants. The rate of corrosion needs to be controlled in order to allow sufficient service life for the intended applications. It is therefore necessary to identify the most suitable alloys, to determine the influence of the alloying elements on their degradation during their immersion in physiological media, and to give them temporary protection allowing a homogeneous and controlled degradation. In the framework of this postdoc, we propose a study of the corrosion mechanisms of the alloy retained in a biological media using electrochemical evaluation techniques and their protection by combining PEO (plasma electrolytic oxidation) and sealing coatings to optimize their lifetime : controlled corrosion, release of hydrogen and porosity. This research requires that the postdoc is familiar with the electrochemical techniques of elaboration and /or characterization.