Microstructure, mechanical property, biodegradation behavior, and biocompatibility of biodegradable Fe-Fe2O3 composites.

In this study, the effects of Fe2O3 (addition, 2, 5, 10, and 50 wt %) on the microstructure, mechanical properties, corrosion behaviors, and in vitro biocompatibility of Fe-Fe2O3 composites fabricated by spark plasma sintering were systematically investigated as a novel-structure biodegradable metallic material. The results of X-ray diffraction analysis and optical microscopy indicated that Fe-Fe2O3 composite is composed of α-Fe and FeO instead of Fe2O3. Both eletrochemical measurements and immersion test showed a faster degradation rate of Fe-2Fe2O3 and Fe-5Fe2O3 composites than pure iron and Fe-5Fe2O3 exhibited the fastest corrosion rate among these composites. Besides, the effect of Fe2O3 on the corrosion behavior of Fe-Fe2O3 composites was discussed. The extracts of Fe-Fe2O3 composite exhibited no cytotoxicity to both ECV304 and L929 cells, whereas greatly reduced cell viabilities of vascular smooth muscle cells. In addition, good hemocompatibility of all Fe-Fe2O3 composites and pure iron was obtained. To sum up, Fe-5Fe2O3 composite is a promising alternative for biodegradable stent material with elevated corrosion rate, enhanced mechanical properties, as well as excellent biocompatibility.