Implants made of degradable magnesium alloys are a potential alternative to conventional orthopaedic implant materials, e.g. stainless steel or titanium. Intramedullary nails made of the magnesium alloy LAE442 were subjected to cyclic fatigue tests in both distilled water and Hank's Balanced Salt Solution (HBSS) at 37.5 °C until implant failure or a limit of 500,000 cycles was reached. In distilled water, four of the five nails were still intact after the end of the biomechanical test. In HBSS, a breakage within the first 70,000 bending cycles was observed. Additionally, the degradation rate of this alloy was determined in HBSS according to the weight loss method (0.24 ± 0.12 mm year−1) and based on gas release (0.21 ± 0.03 mm year−1) with a standard eudiometer. A cytotoxicity test with L929 cells was carried out in accordance with EN ISO 10993-5/12. This test demonstrated sufficient cell viability of the diluted extracts (50%, 25% and 12.5%). The relative metabolic activity of the 100% extract was reduced slightly below 70%, which is classified as a threshold value for cytotoxicity. In conclusion, this in vitro study indicates that intramedullary nails made of LAE442 may not have the required fatigue resistance for load-bearing applications and the development of a corrosion-protective coating may be necessary to prevent early failure of the implant.

Resorbable magnesium alloys are promising materials for osteosynthesis systems. The work describes the influence of the manufacturing process on the degradation of Mg implant systems at different zones. To figure out if the degradation process can be influenced by surface properties, deep-rolling and ball-end milling processes are applied to machine a variety of surface integrity conditions. Corrosion behaviour is analysed by conventional immersion test as well as by drip testing. The latter process is developed in order to acquire timely results, and is based on measuring material loss during corrosion by using a profilometer.

The use of absorbable implant materials for fixation after bone fracture helps to avoid a second surgery for implant removal and the risks and costs involved. Magnesium (Mg) is well known as a potential metallic material for degradable implants. The aim of the present in vitro study was to evaluate if degradable LAE442-based magnesium plate–screw-systems are suitable candidates for osteosynthesis implants in load-bearing bones. The corrosion behaviour was tested concerning the influence of different surface treatments, coatings and screw torques. Steel plates and screws of the same size served as control. Plates without special treatment screwed on up to a specified torque of 15cNm or 7cNm, NaOH treated plates (15cNm), magnesium fluoride coated plates (15cNm) and steel plates as control (15cNm) were examined in pH-buffered, temperature-controlled SBF solution for two weeks. The experimental results indicate that the LAE442 plates and screws coated with magnesium fluoride revealed a lower hydrogen evolution in SBF solution as well as a lower weight loss and volume decrease in μ-computed tomography (μCT). The nanoindentation and SEM/EDX measurements at several plate areas showed no significant differences. Summarized, the different screw torques did not affect the corrosion behaviour differently. Also the NaOH treatment seemed to have no essential influence on the degradation kinetics. The plates coated with magnesium fluoride showed a decreased corrosion rate. Hence, it is recommended to consider this coating for the next in vivo study.

Bioresorbable osteosynthesis plates made of magnesium alloys ideally provide sufficient stability and exhibit a degradation rate matching with the healing process of bone. Within this study the influence of the surface integrity on the corrosion behaviour of magnesium alloy MgLa2 is investigated. Roughness as well as residual stresses is determined by the machining process. Potentially, the degradation rate is also affected which will be proved by a rapid or immersion test.

Composite materials with an ordered layered structure resembling that of nacre were fabricated by layer-by-layer assembly making use of presynthesized α-zirconium hydrogenphosphate hydrate (ZrP) platelets and chitosan. These two biocompatible materials were chosen in view of possible applications in the biomedical field, e.g., as bone or joint replacement implants. The effect of different concentrations of the inorganic ZrP platelets and the organic components (chitosan) on the composite assembly and structure was investigated. A high concentration of chitosan (0.1 wt.%) resulted in a misalignment of the inorganic platelets, while at very low concentrations (0.001 wt.%), the substrate was not fully covered by the polymer, again leading to misalignment. Also, the concentration of the α-ZrP platelets affected the composite assembly and structure. The number of dipping cycles was varied between 70 and 220, yielding a maximum thickness of approximately 6 μm. The pH value of the chitosan solution was also varied to investigate its influence on the composite assembly. The mechanical properties of the composites were tested with a nanoindenter. For samples prepared with the same number of dipping cycles, higher values of Young’s modulus and hardness were obtained with improved alignment of the platelets in the samples. For samples prepared with 220 dipping cycles, a Young’s modulus of 2.6 GPa and a hardness of 70 MPa were observed. Important general relationships are recognized between the preparation parameters, the degree of order within the nacre-like films and the resulting mechanical properties.