The corrosion resistance in artificial saliva of titanium and Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloy processed by high pressure torsion

Abstract

In order to optimize and enhance the implant material properties, metallic materials may be modified by severe plastic deformation (SPD) procedures. One of the most attracting SPD methods is high-pressure torsion (HPT), which is method where deformation is obtained mainly by simple shear. In the present study ultrafine-grained titanium (UFG cpTi) and ultrafine-grained Ti-13Nb-13Zr (UFG TNZ) alloy were obtained by high pressure torsion (HPT) under a pressure of 4.1 GPa with a rotational speed of 0.2 rpm up to 5 rotations at room temperature. In order to analyse microstructure of materials before and after HPT process, scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used. The aim of this study was to determine the corrosion resistance of titanium and its alloy after HPT process. Electrochemical measurements were performed in artificial saliva with a pH value of 5.5 at 37 degrees C, in order to simulate the oral environment. The materials were analysed by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization. All examined materials showed good corrosion resistance, but results indicate that HPT process can improves corrosion resistance.