Tribological and vitro biocompatibility of WE 43 alloy: impact of silica-doped with hydroxyapatite for orthopaedic applications
摘要
In the field of orthopaedic surgery, metal-based products such as bone repair implants and stabilising devices are essential components. Magnesium metal has gained prominence because it is highly compatible with human biology and versatile enough for a range of applications, from medical devices to automotive parts. The WE 43 alloy was chosen as the matrix material in this research, as it has attracted considerable attention for its biocompatibility compared with other Mg alloys. Unfortunately, pure magnesium has encountered problems with orthopaedic materials, including wear and insufficient calcium. This results in a stress-shielding effect, leading to loosening of the implant. In this study, the initial stage of increased strength was reinforced with organic phases, such as silica (Si) and cerium dioxide (CeO2), at varying weight fractions, and fabricated via casting. In the secondary stage, hydroxyapatite (HA) particles are dispersed at different percentages in a coating solution, using a dip-coating method combined with a GelMA technique to enhance wear resistance. The WE 43/(20%Si-3%CeO2) with a 4% HA coating exhibits high tensile strength and hardness of 983 MPa and 345 MPa, respectively. In addition, the 4% hydroxyapatite coating further improves the mechanical, wear, and in vitro biocompatibility, which are beneficial for simulating bone tissue and die-casting fittings in industrial applications. The hard reinforcement particles with 4% HA coating highly contributed to reducing the wear loss and coefficient of friction, which was drastically reduced for the 26% MHCC2 sample (0.025 g and 0.21µ), and the wear mechanism maps were also explored using the SEM to study the various mechanisms involved in each coated sample. This study emphasises a multiscale material design strategy to develop next-generation biodegradable orthopaedic implants that enhance mechanical properties, wear resistance, and biological performance.