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Fe-Mn based alloys are particular promising for the development of temporary bioabsorbable implants. They exhibit good performance in biological tests, improved mechanical properties and more adequate degradation rates than pure iron for the targeted application. In addition, this system possesses an excellent processability, making it particular suitable for designing thin structures and tailoring the chemistry by alloying. Accordingly, earlier works indicated that by adding Si to Fe-Mn, mechanical properties and long-term degradation behaviour could be improved. This study builds up on the alloying approach adding a fourth noble element to further enhance degradation rate, strain-hardening performance and to pave the way for preparing functionally optimized implant materials as Pt and Au can increase radiopacity and their ions are potentially antibacterial. The alloys were prepared by arc-melting and processed into sheets. Dissolution behaviour was measured by electro-chemical corrosion and static degradation set-up, mechanical properties were studied in tensile mode. Particular emphasis is placed on the different evolution of microstructure in these alloys after rolling and its impact on passivation and degradation. This study demonstrates that quaternary Fe-Mn-Si-(Pt, Au) alloys can be prepared successfully, further accelerating degradation in comparison with ternary alloys.

Deep eutectic solvents (DESs) are green anhydrous solvents that have recently been proposed in sustainable non-aqueous metal electrodeposition processes. The use of DESs over aqueous solutions allows metal electrodeposition without significant side reactions, such as the evolution of hydrogen gas, which is responsible for embrittlement phenomena. In the current work, the electrolytic deposition of Fe-Mn alloys, which present good application in temporary biomedical devices, using DESs was assessed. Three DESs were studied: (a) choline chloride and ethylene glycol (ChCl/EG), (b) choline chloride and glycerol (ChCl/Gly), and (c) choline chloride and urea (ChCl/Urea). The physicochemical properties (viscosity and conductivity) of the three DESs of interest, with and without the presence of dissolved Fe and Mn salts, were thoroughly studied. Cyclic voltammetry analyses showed that the reduction potential of both metals was within the potential window for the three DESs studied, which allowed the successful electrodeposition of Fe-Mn alloys. The deposit obtained from the ChCl/Urea DES presented the highest amount of Mn (49.71 at%). The latter, as well as the fact that the ChCl/Urea based electrolyte showed good stability at T = 80 °C after four electrodeposition cycles, are promising indicators of the potential success of the use of non-aqueous electrodeposition of Fe-Mn alloys using DESs.

Fe–Mn alloys are promising candidates for less-invasive and temporary implants such as bioabsorbable stents. However, their composition and microstructure must be tailored to assess an adequate corrosion rate for the desirable lifespan of the stent. This study aimed to evaluate the development of Fe–Mn alloy and its structure and properties correlation when processed by electrodeposition. Planar samples were produced by potentiostatic deposition at two different potentials, −1.3 and −1.7 V vs. Ag/AgCl, from a chloride-based acidic electrolyte with different amounts of NH4Cl. It was verified that, in more negative deposition potentials, the deposition interface changes from planar to dendritic, leading to more ramified deposits with a high level of defects like cracks and pores. More negative potentials also increased the Mn content in the deposit from 0.8 to 5.2 wt.% Mn. The microstructure was composed of a single phase of (Fe, Mn) solid solution in the −1.3 V vs. Ag/AgCl deposit, while the deposit obtained at −1.7 V vs. Ag/AgCl exhibit two phases, one rich in Mn and the other rich in Fe. A higher concentration of NH4Cl in the electrolyte leads to an increase in the Mn content (5.2 wt.% Mn), maintaining the monophasic microstructure. Although several challenges still remain, these results prove that is possible to obtain Fe–Mn bioabsorbable alloys by electrodeposition, which opens a new processing route for these alloys.

The present work aims at exploring the influence of laser welding on the functional behaviour of a Fe-20Mn-0.6C (wt.%) bioabsorbable alloy. At first, the selection of the most suitable process speed (40 mm/s) was done in order to obtain a full penetration joint with limited taper. Then, microstructural and mechanical analyses of welded sheets confirmed suitable performance of the joint, without porosity, thus preserving chemical composition, mechanical resistance and ductility even after welding. In particular, the base material comprised both γ austenite and ε martensite, while the welded samples showed a further type of martensite, namely α’. Moreover, ultimate tensile strength (1095 MPa and 1104 MPa in base and welded material, respectively) and elongation to failure (61.3% and 60.9%, respectively) were almost not influenced by the welding process. Considering the absorbable nature of these alloys, static immersion degradation tests were carried out, and confirmed that the surface of the welded bead did not exhibit a significant variation of the material degradation rate after 14 days in modified Hanks’ solution. Finally, a significant accumulation of degradation products, mainly (Fe,Mn)CO3, was observed along the joining line.