Effect of Heat Treatment on the Microstructure, Mechanical Properties, and Corrosion Performance of Biodegradable Zn-0.45Li Alloy Ultra-fine Wire

doi:10.11901/1005.3093.2026.156

Chinese Journal of Materials Research

2026, Vol. 40

Issue (10): 757-768 DOI: 10.11901/1005.3093.2026.156

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Effect of Heat Treatment on the Microstructure, Mechanical Properties, and Corrosion Performance of Biodegradable Zn-0.45Li Alloy Ultra-fine Wire

SUN Zhixue¹^,², ZHU Xinglong², LI Moucheng¹(

), YANG Lijing²(

), JIANG Jianjun², ZHANG Qingke², SONG Zhenlun²

^1.State Key Laboratory of Materials for Advanced Nuclear Energy, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Shanghai University, Shanghai 200072, China
^2.State Key Laboratory of Advanced Marine Materials, Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Extreme-environmental Material Surfaces and Interfaces, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Ningbo 315201, China

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SUN Zhixue, ZHU Xinglong, LI Moucheng, YANG Lijing, JIANG Jianjun, ZHANG Qingke, SONG Zhenlun. Effect of Heat Treatment on the Microstructure, Mechanical Properties, and Corrosion Performance of Biodegradable Zn-0.45Li Alloy Ultra-fine Wire. Chinese Journal of Materials Research, 2026, 40(10): 757-768.

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Abstract

To tailor the microstructure and properties of Zn-Li alloy ultrafine wires for cardiovascular stent braiding, this study systematically investigates the effects of heat treatment at 70 ^oC, 120 ^oC, and 150 ^oC on the microstructure, mechanical properties, and electrochemical corrosion behavior of Zn-0.45Li alloy wires with a diameter of 0.14 mm. The results revealed that heat treatment at 70 ^oC only resulted in static recovery, whereas treatments at 120 ^oC and 150 ^oC sequentially induced partial recrystallization, full recrystallization, and grain growth as holding time increased. After heat treatment, the ultimate tensile strength of the wire increased significantly, whereas its ductility decreased. Higher treatment temperatures resulted in greater strength enhancement and a more pronounced reduction in ductility. The optimal comprehensive performance was achieved after holding at 150 ^oC for 30 min, with a maximum ultimate tensile strength of 706.9 MPa, approximately 90 MPa higher than that in the cold-drawn state, while the elongation after fracture remained at 38.5%. After heat treatment, the corrosion current density increased, and the corrosion rate accelerated with increasing treatment temperature, whereas the effect of holding time on corrosion behavior at the same temperature is relatively weak. The core mechanism underlying the evolution of strength and ductility is the obstruction of grain-boundary sliding by grain growth, while micro-galvanic corrosion induced by second-phase precipitation is the dominant factor contributing to accelerated degradation. These findings provide experimental evidence and theoretical support for the optimization of the heat treatment process of medical biodegradable Zn-Li alloy wires for stent applications.

Key words: non-ferrous metals and their alloys Zn-Li alloy heat treatment microstructure mechanical properties

Received: 26 March 2026

ZTFLH:

TG166

Fund: Key Research and Development Program of Zhejiang Province(2024C03078);Ningbo Public Welfare Research Plan(2024S070)

Corresponding Authors: YANG Lijing, Tel: 15267855738, E-mail: yanglj@nimte.ac.cn;
LI Moucheng, Tel: 13918307362, E-mail: mouchengli@shu.edu.cn

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	SUN Zhixue
	ZHU Xinglong
	LI Moucheng
	YANG Lijing
	JIANG Jianjun
	ZHANG Qingke
	SONG Zhenlun

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https://www.cjmr.org/EN/10.11901/1005.3093.2026.156 OR https://www.cjmr.org/EN/Y2026/V40/I10/757

Fig.1 XRD pattern of Zn-0.45Li alloy wires

Fig.2 SEM and BSE images of as-drawn Zn-0.45Li alloy wires (a-c) longitudinal sections, (d) cross-section

Fig.3 SEM images of Zn-0.45Li alloy wire after heat treatment at 70 ^oC (a-d) longitudinal sections, (a1-d1) cross sections, (a, a1) held for 30 min, (b, b1) held for 1 h, (c, c1) held for 2 h, (d, d1) held for 4 h

Fig.4 SEM images of Zn-0.45Li alloy wire after heat treatment at 120 ^oC (a-d) longitudinal sections, (a1-d1) cross sections, (a, a1) held for 30 min, (b, b1) held for 1 h, (c, c1) held for 2 h, (d, d1) held for 4 h

Fig.5 SEM images of Zn-0.45Li alloy wire after heat treatment at 150 ^oC (a-d) longitudinal sections, (a1-d1) cross sections, (a, a1) held for 5 min, (b, b1) held for 15 min, (c, c1) held for 30 min, (d, d1) held for 1 h

Table 1 Average size and area fraction of the LiZn₄ phase in Zn-0.45Li alloy before and after heat treatment

Fig.6 Stress-strain curves of Zn-0.45Li alloy wires before and after different heat treatment processes (a) 70 ^oC, (b) 120 ^oC, (c) 150 ^oC

Fig.7 EBSD orientation maps, pole figures, inverse pole figures, and grain size distribution maps of Zn-0.45Li alloy wires before and after heat treatment at 150 ^oC (a-a2) as-drawn, (b-b2) held for 5 min, (c-c2) held for 30 min, (d-d2) held for 1 h

Fig.8 Distribution of recrystallized grains in Zn-0.45Li alloy wires before and after heat treatment at 150 ^oC (a) as-drawn, (b) held for 5 min, (c) held for 30 min, (d) held for 1 h

Fig.9 Polarization curves of Zn-0.45Li alloy wires in SBF solution before and after different heat treatment processes (a) 70 ^oC, (b) 120 ^oC, (c) 150 ^oC

Table 2 Polarization curve fitting parameters of Zn-0.45Li alloy wires in SBF solution before and after different heat-treatment processes

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