Influence of ECAP process on mechanical and corrosion properties of pure Mg and ZK60 magnesium alloy for biodegradable stent applications

Equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) was performed on ZK60 alloy and pure Mg in the temperature range 150–250 °C. A significant grain refinement was detected after ECAP, leading to an ultrafine grain size (UFG) and enhanced formability during extrusion process. Comparing to conventional coarse grained samples, fracture elongation of pure Mg and ZK60 alloy were significantly improved by 130% and 100%, respectively, while the tensile strength remained at high level. Extrusion was performed on ECAP processed billets to produce small tubes (with outer/inner diameter of 4/2.5 mm) as precursors for biodegradable stents. Studies on extruded tubes revealed that even after extrusion the microstructure and microhardness of the UFG ZK60 alloy were almost stable. Furthermore, pure Mg tubes showed an additional improvement in terms of grain refining and mechanical properties after extrusion. Electrochemical analyses and microstructural assessments after corrosion tests demonstrated two major influential factors in corrosion behavior of the investigated materials. The presence of Zn and Zr as alloying elements simultaneously increases the nobility by formation of a protective film and increase the local corrosion damage by amplifying the pitting development. ECAP treatment decreases the size of the second phase particles thus improving microstructure homogeneity, thereby decreasing the localized corrosion effects.