Improvement in corrosion resistance and biocompatibility of AZ31 magnesium alloy by NH2+ ions

Abstract Magnesium alloys have been considered to be favorable biodegradable metallic materials used in orthopedic and cardiovascular applications. We introduce NH2+ to the AZ31 Mg alloy surface by ions implantation at the energy of 50 keV with doses ranging from 1 × 1016 ions/cm2 to 1 × 1017 ions/cm2 to improve its corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. Surface morphology, mechanical properties, corrosion behavior and biocompatibility are studied in the experiments. The analysis confirms that the modified surface with smoothness and hydrophobicity significantly improves the corrosion resistance and biocompatibility while maintains the mechanical property of the alloy.