Mechanical alloying of Mg-Zn-Ca-Er alloy

Magnesium-based materials constitute promising alternatives for medical applications, due to their characteristics, such as good mechanical and biological properties. This opens many possibilities for biodegradable materials to be used as less-invasive options for treatment. Degradation is prompted by their chemical composition and microstructure. Both those aspects can be finely adjusted by means of proper manufacturing processes, such as mechanical alloying (MA). Furthermore, MA allows for alloying elements that would normally be really hard to mix due to their very different properties. Magnesium usually needs various alloying elements, which can further increase its characteristics. Alloying magnesium with rare earth elements is considered to greatly improve the aforementioned properties. Due to that fact, erbium was used as one of the alloying elements, alongside zinc and calcium, to obtain an Mg₆₄Zn₃₀Ca₄Er₁ alloy via mechanical alloying. The alloy was milled in the SPEX 8000 Dual Mixer/Mill high energy mill under an argon atmosphere for 8, 13, and 20 hours. It was assessed using X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive spectroscopy and granulometric analysis as well as by studying its hardness. The hardness values reached 232, 250, and 302 HV, respectively, which is closely related to their particle size. Average particle sizes were 15, 16, and 17 μm, respectively