Corrosion resistance and antibacterial activity of different zones in TA2 weldment by TIG welding

Abstract

The corrosion resistance behavior of TA2 pure titanium processed by tungsten inert gas (TIG) welding was investigated in artificial saliva solution at 37 °C. By metallographic examination, electrochemical measurement technology, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), the corrosion resistance of the base metal (BM), heat-affected zone (HAZ), and weld metal (WM) were investigated. Metallographic examination experiments show that welding process would cause the growth of grain size. In addition, phase change happens in the HAZ and WM. The change of grain size and phase would influence the generation of the original passive film. The electrochemical tests show that the BM, HAZ, and WM are all equipped with good corrosion resistance. The welded joint shows a better corrosion resistance than the original TA2. It is shown that the BM with the lowest corrosion potential and the biggest corrosion current has a worse corrosion resistance than WM as well as HAZ. Silver (Ag) nanoparticles can be distributed on the WM zone of Ti uniformly. The WM zone of Ti with Ag coating considerably enhances the antibacterial activity of Ti implants.