An Insight on Corrosion Resistance Ability of Biocompatible Dental Implants through Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy

Abstract

Corrosion resistance is an important requirement in the study of biomedical implants. Implant surface can be modified to provide good adherence and/or optimum biocompatibility with the human body at the bone-implant interface. Titanium alloys are typically used because of their excellent corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. However, to improve these properties, the alloy surface is roughened using alumina (Al2O3). More details on the corrosion resistance of these alloys can be obtained by using electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) method. EIS is the most suitable method for monitoring corrosion rate values due to its reproducibility, it is non-destructive and has reliable determination of small corrosion rates, much lower than those measured by other techniques. It can also study high-impedance systems, such as coatings and linings, high-purity water, and organic coating/metal systems or corrosion in a low-conductive solution. This method has been used to evaluate electrochemical properties of modified surfaces. This chapter will explore the effectiveness of EIS in studying the corrosion behaviour of machined and surface-modified Pure Ti grade 4 for dental implant applications. The basic EIS concepts are discussed and their derivation thereof to provide information about the corrosion resistance of biomedical implants is explored.