Mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of large-size biodegradable Ca–Mg–Zn bulk metallic glasses fabricated via powder metallurgy

Biodegradable metallic glasses are used as disposable green devices whose constituents decompose into harmless byproducts, leaving no residual waste and requiring no removal surgery. Here, the large size Ca-based (Ca₆₅Mg₁₅Zn₂₀) bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) were fabricated by consolidating gas-atomized metallic glassy alloy powder using a spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique. The effects of sintering temperature on structure, mechanical properties, and biodegradation rate of the developed Ca-based BMGs in Hank's solution were evaluated. The high-strength consolidated samples with a fully glassy phase and suitable biodegradation rate were produced by the SPS process at a sintering temperature of 120 °C with a loading pressure of 600 MPa. The Ca–Mg–Zn bulk metallic glass alloys developed by the SPS process can offer excellent properties and satisfy large sample-size requirements, which opens possibilities of application as biodegradable materials.