Controlling the degradation
kinetics of porous iron by
poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid)
infiltration for use as temporary
medical implants

Abdul Hakim Md Yusop1, Nurizzati Mohd Daud1, Hadi Nur2, Mohammed Rafiq Abdul Kadir1
& Hendra Hermawan1,3

Iron and its alloy have been proposed as biodegradable metals for temporary medical implants.
However, the formation of iron oxide and iron phosphate on their surface slows down their
degradation kinetics in both in vitro and in vivo scenarios. This work presents new approach to tailor degradation behavior of iron by incorporating biodegradable polymers into the metal. Porous pure
iron (PPI) was vacuum infiltrated by poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) to form fully dense PLGAinfiltrated
porous iron (PIPI) and dip coated into the PLGA to form partially dense PLGA-coated
porous iron (PCPI). Results showed that compressive strength and toughness of the PIPI and PCPI
were higher compared to PPI. A strong interfacial interaction was developed between the PLGA layer
and the iron surface. Degradation rate of PIPI and PCPI was higher than that of PPI due to the effect
of PLGA hydrolysis. The fast degradation of PIPI did not affect the viability of human fibroblast cells.
Finally, this work discusses a degradation mechanism for PIPI and the effect of PLGA incorporation in
accelerating the degradation of iron.

srep11194.pdf