The influence of the surface nanostructured modification on the corrosion resistance of the ultrafine-grained Ti–13Nb–13Zr alloy in artificial saliva

Abstract

On the surface of the ultrafine-grained Ti–13Nb–13Zr alloy and the coarse-grained Ti–13Nb–13Zr alloy nanotubular oxide layers were formed by electrochemical anodization in the 1 M H3PO4 + NaF electrolyte in order to evaluate the electrochemical behaviour in the artificial saliva. SEM images showed that homogeneous nanotubular oxide layers could be formed by anodic oxidation of titanium alloys in an electrolyte with fluoride ions. These two titanium alloys, like other materials developed to replace the bone tissue in the human body, have to be highly corrosion resistant, which is one of the most common requirement in terms of the biocompatibility, damage and fracture prevention. The alloys were analysed by means of the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy and potentiodynamic polarization. The analyzed alloys had good corrosion stability, while nanotubular oxide layer improved their corrosion resistance. © 2019 Elsevier Ltd