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Enhanced Corrosion Resistance and Mechanical Properties of Mg-Zn Alloy via Micro-alloying of Ge

  • Influence of Processing on Microstructure and Properties of Mg Alloys
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Abstract

Generally, the corrosion of magnesium (Mg) and its alloys is accompanied by hydrogen production, which can cause gas pockets and severe biological problems when they are used as implants. Germanium (Ge) as an alloy additive can moderate the cathodic reaction of Mg alloys and significantly delay the corrosion of Mg alloys via the cathode “poisoning” effect. In this study, the influence of Ge (0–0.75 wt.%) on the mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of Mg-0.7Zn were evaluated using electrochemical tests, weight loss experiments, and compression tests to optimize the composition of the Mg-Zn-Ge alloy having a low corrosion rate and high mechanical properties. The results show that the eutectic mixture (α-Mg + Mg2Ge) is formed in the Mg matrix after adding Ge to the Mg alloys. Small amounts of Ge addition can effectively reduce the cathodic reaction rate and improve the corrosion resistance via the cathode poisoning effect, and strengthen the mechanical properties of the alloy due to the formation of Mg2Ge. However, a relatively high content of Ge results in the formation of mesh-like precipitates, causing strong galvanic corrosion between the α-Mg matrix and secondary phases compared with the cathode poisoning effect of Ge, thereby deteriorating the mechanical properties of the alloy.

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The raw/processed data required to reproduce these findings cannot be shared at this time as the data also forms part of an ongoing study.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the financial supports of the National Key Research and Development Program of China (2021YFC2400703) and the Natural Science Foundation of Henan Provincial (222300420309).

Funding

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China [2021YFC2400703] and the Natural Science Foundation of Henan Provincial [222300420309]. The funding sources have no involvement in study design; in the collection, analysis and interpretation of data; in the writing of the report; and in the decision to submit the article for publication.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Materials Science and Engineering & Henan Key Laboratory of Advanced Magnesium Alloys, Zhengzhou University, No.100 Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, China

    Zihao Zeng, Pingli Jiang, Ruiqing Hou, Liguo Wang, Shijie Zhu & Shaokang Guan

  2. Center of Advanced Analysis & Gene Sequencing, Zhengzhou University, No.100 Science Avenue, Zhengzhou, 450001, China

    Pingli Jiang

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  1. Zihao Zeng
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  2. Pingli Jiang
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  3. Ruiqing Hou
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  4. Liguo Wang
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  5. Shijie Zhu
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  6. Shaokang Guan
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Contributions

ZZ: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Investigation, Writing—original draft. PJ: Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing—review & editing. RH: Investigation, Data curation, Formal analysis, Funding acquisition, Writing—review & editing. LW: Resources, Funding acquisition, Writing—review & editing. SZ: Resources, Funding acquisition, Writing—review & editing. SG: Resources, Funding acquisition, Writing—review & editing.

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Correspondence to Ruiqing Hou or Shijie Zhu.

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Zeng, Z., Jiang, P., Hou, R. et al. Enhanced Corrosion Resistance and Mechanical Properties of Mg-Zn Alloy via Micro-alloying of Ge. JOM 75, 2326–2337 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-023-05858-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11837-023-05858-8

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