ZrC-Impregnated Titanium-Based Coating as an Effective Lubricating Barrier for Artificial Hip Prosthesis

Abstract

Abstract The important properties of implant materials are extended component life, wear resistance, and biocompatibility. The wear characteristics depend, for implant materials, on the nature of the implant, movement of joints, and usage of the part. Hard ceramic Ti-6Al-4V-2ZrC (Titanium (Ti), Aluminium (Al), Vanadium (V), Zirconium Carbide (ZrC)) was coated over stainless steel (SS) 316L for analyzing the wear and mechanical properties against E-52100 steel balls sliding for artificial hip joints. The coating crystallography was examined by X-ray diffraction analysis and the topography was inspected by an Atomic Force Microscope (AFM). The coating thickness has been measured as 5–6 µm using a scanning electron microscope (SEM), and the smooth surface roughness of 0.03 µm was measured using AFM. The Ti-6Al-4V-2ZrC coated surface nanohardness has been enhanced three times higher than uncoated. The ball-on-disk wear was investigated with a load of 2–3 N, sliding distance 110 m, and sliding velocity 0.25–0.95 m/s. The investigated wear rates are mostly higher than 10−5 mm3/Nm, and the frictional coefficient reduces from 0.8 to 0.35. The morphology of worn surfaces was analyzed using SEM. Based on the improvement in nanohardness, it is concluded that the Ti-6Al-4V-2ZrC coated SS 316L is a good replacement for an artificial hip joint because of its better wear resistance and coefficient of friction.