Facile fabrication of wear-resistant multifunctional surfaces on titanium alloy substrate by one-step anodization and modification with silicon dioxide nanoparticles

Abstract

This paper describes a simple, facile, low-cost method of fabricating a wear-resistant surface on titanium alloy substrates by single-step anodization and modification with silicon dioxide particles. The method produced a TiO2–SiO2 composite surface with micro- to nanohierarchical structure, which became multifunctional after fluoroalkylsilane modification. The surface not only showed excellent superhydrophobicity [contact angles (CAs) > 150°, sliding angles (SAs) ≤ 8°] but also exhibited better repellency of complex whole blood (CAs = 153° ± 2°, SAs = 9°). Furthermore, the wear resistance of the surface was investigated by sandpaper abrasion test. The results showed that the mechanical wear resistance of the TiO2–SiO2 composite surface was more than three times that of the surface prepared only by the electrochemical technique, and the surface still maintained the capacity of hydrophobicity even after 33.6 m of wear under conditions of 3400 Pa and 360# sandpaper. The method mentioned in this paper could be a candidate for the production of abrasion-resistant and super-repellent titanium alloy.