Improved Corrosion Resistance and Cytotoxicity of Nickel-based alloy using Novel Plasma processing technique

Abstract

Abstract Nickel-based (NiCr) alloys are mostly utilized in the dental industry because of their good corrosion resistance, ease of casting, and adequate thermal coefficient of friction with ceramic porcelain. However, leakage of toxic metal ions (Ni and Cr) due to breakage or damage of protective metal oxide layers in aggressive body fluids affects corrosion resistance, tribological properties, and cytotoxicity. These drawbacks ultimately affect the biocompatibility of NiCr alloys for medical applications. This study employs magnetron sputtering in conjunction with cathodic cage plasma nitriding (CCPN) to perform a novel duplex plasma treatment on Ni-Cr alloy. Moreover, the cathodic cage plasma-treated TiN (CCPN-TiN) samples showed further enhanced corrosion resistance and low metal ion leakage. These findings made duplex plasma treatment an efficient method for the surface modification of metallic alloys against the leaching of toxic ions in chloride-aggressive electrolytes, thus proving an excellent strategy for various biomedical applications.