Microstructure, mechanical and corrosion properties of Mg–Zn–Nd alloy with different accumulative area reduction after room-temperature drawing

Good mechanical properties and corrosion resistance are the key factors for the application of biodegradable magnesium alloy wires as new medical implant materials. This study is aimed at investigating the influence of microstructural evolution on mechanical and corrosion properties of Mg–2Zn–0.5Nd alloy (ZN20) during room-temperature drawing. The decreases in the cross-sectional area of ZN20 alloy during drawing refined the grains from 10 to 5 μm under the influence of cold deformation, the basal texture was rotated around radius direction, the basal texture became dominant, and the texture transformed from drawing direction (DD)//\(<2{\bar{1}}{\bar{1}}1>\) to a point between \(<2{\bar{1}}{\bar{1}}1>\) and \(<2{\bar{1}}{\bar{1}}0>\) parallel to DD. The ultimate tensile strength of the wire was increased by 44.7% compared with that of the extruded alloy due to grain boundary strengthening, hard orientation and work hardening during drawing process, while the elongation was decreased by 85% under the influence of work hardening. The corrosion resistance of the alloy was improved after drawing due to grain refinement, while it was sensitive to prismatic texture.