Study on the Synergistic Effects of Cu and Sr on Biodegradable Zn Alloys

Bone defect repair and postoperative infections are among the most challenging issues faced by orthopedic surgeons. Thus, the antibacterial agent Cu and the osteogenic promoter Sr have been widely incorporated into biodegradable alloys separately. However, to the best of our knowledge, the synergistic effects of Cu and Sr on zinc alloys have not been investigated. Therefore, we have developed a series of novel Zn-4Cu-xSr (x = 0.05, 0.1, and 0.3 wt %) alloys. Our results showed that the addition of Cu and Sr significantly increased the strength of pure zinc while maintaining a certain level of ductility. Plastic deformation further enhanced the strength and ductility of the alloys. The tensile strength of HR Zn-4Cu-xSr alloys remains between 233.34 ± 1.31 MPa and 235.81 ± 3.0 MPa, with elongation values ranging from 45.7 ± 1.56% to 49.6 ± 6.22%. The HE Zn-4Cu-0.05Sr alloy exhibits a high elongation of 95.05 ± 11.1%. Furthermore, the HE Zn-4Cu-0.1Sr alloy demonstrates the best overall mechanical performance with ultimate tensile strength (