Preparation and Characterization of Zinc Materials Prepared by Powder Metallurgy

The use of zinc-based materials as biodegradable materials for medical purposes is offered as a possible alternative to corrosion-less resistant magnesium-based materials. Zinc powders with two different particle sizes (7.5 µm and 150 µm) were processed by the methods of powder metallurgy: cold pressing, cold pressing followed by sintering and hot pressing. The microstructure of prepared materials was evaluated in terms of light optical microscopy, and the mechanical properties were analyzed with Vickers microhardness testing and three-point bend testing. Fractographic analysis of broken samples was performed with scanning electron microscopy. Particle size was shown to have a significant effect on compacts mechanical properties. The deformability of 7.5 µm particle size powder was improved by increased temperature during the processing, while in the case of larger powder, no significant influence of temperature was observed. Bending properties of prepared materials were positively influenced by elevated temperature during processing and correspond to the increasing compacting pressures. Better properties were achieved for pure zinc prepared from 150 µm particle size powder compared to materials prepared from 7.5 µm particle size powder