Comparative study of corrosion and tribocorrosion resistance of some biomaterials

Abstract

ABSTRACTCorrosion and tribocorrosion tests have been conducted on titanium, Ti-6Al-4V and Ti-10Zr-10Nb-5Ta alloys. The experiments have been conducted in four different electrolytes: NaCl solution, Ringer’s solution, phosphate buffered saline solution (PBS) with and without an addition of bovine serum albumin (BSA).The electrochemical study showed that, whatever the electrolyte, the passivating film formed on Ti-10Zr-10Nb-5Ta surface is more stable than those obtained on the surface of titanium or Ti-6Al-4V alloy. In addition, Ti-10Zr-10Nb-5Ta presents a better resistance to corrosion. In PBS solution, open circuit potential (OCP) moved to more positive value in comparison with results obtained in NaCl and Ringer’s solutions, whereas addition of BSA moved OCP value towards more negative potential indicating a detrimental effect.Tribocorrosion tests have been conducted at OCP when sliding against an alumina ball. Friction coefficient, current and volume of material removal at the end of tests have been measured and the results discussed. The influence of the presence of proteins molecules has been particularly analyzed.