Mg as Bioabsorbable Material

Abstract

Magnesium and its alloys are an outstanding option for designing temporary medical devices because of their mechanical properties and biocompatibility. However, to achieve the accurate requirements for different medical treatment, it is necessary to control their degradation process. This can be accomplished by controlling the composition, their microstructure and their surface. This work reviews the role of Mg as bioabsorbable material by remarking different strategies intended to control its degradation process: purification of magnesium, research of alloys firstly developed for industrial applications other than medical, specific design of alloys for biodegradable implants and the incorporation of magnesium as reinforcing phase of biodegradable polymeric matrix composites.