Tailored Magnesium-based Alloys for Bone Replacement - Metallic glass-forming composites enabled by additive manufacturing

Additive manufacturing (AM), or 3D-printing, has enabled production of complex structures, and in orthopaedics, the provision of patient-specific implants. Here, satisfactory solutions have been found for permanent implant solutions, through e.g. titanium alloys. However, to enable in situ bone recreation, an initially load-bearing but degradable material is needed.

Magnesium alloys are one of, if not the, most promising material to this end, but AM of biocompatible Mg alloys is challenging.

We have demonstrated the possibility to additively manufacture an alloy previously found suitable for orthopaedic use when produced with a traditional method.

However, the AM process gives raise to microstructures that are detrimental to the corrosive properties of the material, crucial to its function in the body.

In this project, we will develop amorphous-matrix Mg alloys with improved corrosion resistance through laser powder bed fusion for the first time.

High-resolution synchrotron X-ray analysis and neutron scattering will be used in combination with numerical model development to elucidate microstructural formation mechanisms and to develop novel alloys. The developed materials will be validated in biological systems.

The ultimate goal is to achieve Mg alloys adequate for orthopaedic use, with the immense benefits of restoring the patient’s own tissue and eliminating implant-associated risks of infection, potentially sparing millions of lives.