Effect of medium renewal mode on the degradation behavior of Mg alloys for biomedical applications during the long-term in vitro test

Abstract

To build a suitable corrosion environment for testing the degradation behavior of magnesium alloy in vitro, the medium and test environment are constantly optimized. However, the applicability of medium renewal mode is still vague. In this study, based on three representative test protocols, the influence of the specific ratio of media volume to surface area and the disposable medium real-time renewal mode (flow-through) on Mg corrosion were investigated. It is found that in flow-through medium renewal mode, the composition of the medium is maintained quasi-constant which is essential for corrosion tests. The selection suggestion on medium renewal mode was also proposed. This work is beneficial for ultimately establishing the representative in vitro testing protocols for Mg bioabsorbable materials.