Corrosion behaviour and cytocompatibility of selected binary magnesium-rare earth alloys

The corrosion behaviour of as-cast binary Mg–0.3Ce, Mg–1.44Nd, Mg–0.63Gd and Mg–0.41Dy (wt%) alloys was investigated in DMEM+10% FBS solution using electrochemical and weight loss tests. The results revealed that the alloys with heavy RE elements (Gd and Dy) exhibited the lowest corrosion rate compared to the alloys with light RE elements (Ce and Nd). The cytocompatibility of the Mg–RE alloys was assessed via live/dead straining after 3 and 7 days. The results show that Mg–0.63Gd alloy is a suitable candidate for biomedical applications.