Very Fine-Grained Cu-0.4Mg Alloy Improving Intrauterine Device

The non-hormonal copper-containing intrauterine device (Cu-IUD) is one of the most widely used contraceptives for human birth control due to its safety, high effectiveness, affordability, and reversibility.  However, the burst release of cupric ions (CU²⁺) in the first few days of implantation prevents the continuation of the Cu²⁺ release in the conventional coarse-grained (CG) Cu-IUD.  To maintain constant release of Cu²⁺ in the uterine over the lifespan of the Cu-IUD and to improve cell and tissue biocompatibility, a newly designed very fine-grained (VFG) Cu-0.4Mg alloy was developed and tested.  The purpose of this study is to investigate the microstructure of very fine-grained Cu-0.4Mg alloy in the role of suppressing the burst release of Cu²⁺ in Cu-IUD using electron microscopy.