Adjustment of surface and subsurface properties of degradable implant materials via machining processes

This interdisciplinary project between medical and engineering sciences focuses on the development of degradable magnesium implants for osteosynthesis. The removal of those implants after convalescence of the fractured bone is no longer necessary, resulting in a considerable benefit for patients and the public health care system. Different magnesium bone screw designs are investigated and show comparable biomechanical properties to conventional surgical steel implants. The influence of the mechanical processing on surface and subsurface layers of the selected biocompatible magnesium alloys is analyzed. Different operations of processing and postprocessing magnesium workpieces enable the adjustment of distinct surface and subsurface properties. These properties are then utilized to adjust the corrosion resistance and therefore the degradation kinetics of the implant in the organism. Results of in-vitro an in-vivo experiments validate the strong relation between workpiece properties and corrosion behavior respectively degradation kinetics.