Anodized Zn
A better understanding of the surface oxide film on biodegradable metals could lead to the design of smarter, surface responsive biodegradable stents with good biocompatibility and controlled degradation rates at different stages of implantation. In our new study, the surface finish of zinc was manipulated through different material processing conditions including oxidation, electropolishing and anodization. Implant wires with oxide films of varying surface characteristics were degradated in vivo using a rodent model to understand their response to a biological endovascular environment. It was found that degradation rate was mainly dependent on the quality and stability of oxide film. The paper entitled Importance of Oxide Film in Endovascular Biodegradable Zinc Stents has been accepted by the Surface Innovations journal. The leading author is our summer scholar Adam Drelich, who completed the research presented in this paper in summer 2015.
