Corrosion behavior and mechanical property of Mg-4Li-1Ca alloys under micro-compressive stress

Biomedical materials may suffer from stress-induced corrosion when performing as implant materials at load-bearing sites, bringing about variations in the microstructure, corrosion resistance, and mechanical properties. In this study, the corrosion behavior and mechanical properties of an extruded Mg-4Li-1Ca alloy were investigated under different micro-compressive stresses (0–6 MPa) using a novel homemade loading device. Under 0–3 MPa of micro-compressive stress, the strong basal texture of extruded Mg-4Li-1Ca alloys was weakened and the internal stress gradient stimulated grain boundary migration to induce grain growth. Meanwhile, increased stress resulted in the precipitation of second-phase particles and the accumulation of residual stress, accelerating the corrosion rate due to preferential corrosion. However, with increasing stress, the volume fraction of the second phase increased, becoming the dominant factor controlling the corrosion rate, and residual stress was released for samples under 4.5–6 MPa of micro-compressive stress. Hence, surface corrosion product films rapidly formed and served as effective physical barriers, weakening the microstructural effect on the corrosion behavior. The yield strength of Mg-4Li-1Ca alloy reached 95.48 MPa under 3 MPa of micro-compressive stress owing to the dual effects of precipitation strengthening and shear-band strengthening. The relationships between microstructure, corrosion behavior, and mechanical property provide a theoretical foundation for understanding the degradation characteristics of the Mg-4Li-1Ca alloy under physiological loading and practical application.