Electrochemical and biological behaviour of near β Titanium alloy for biomedical implant applications

Abstract

Pulsed laser deposition technique (PLD) is one of the methods to coat hydroxyapatite on near beta titanium alloys (Ti-13Nb-13Zr) implants which are used in orthopaedics and dentistry applications. In this study, Hydroxyapatite (HA) ceramics in the form of calcium phosphate (Cap) were deposited on nearβ Titanium alloys (Ti-13Nb-13Zr) by the pulsed laser deposition method. The coated thin film was characterised by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with Energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and atomic microscopy (AFM). The corrosion studies were carried out coated and uncoated samples using potentiodynamic polarisation studies in simulated body fluid (Hanks’ solution). The bioactivity of the Hap-coated samples on nearβ Titanium alloys was evaluated by immersing them in simulated body fluid (SBF) for nine days. XRD and EDS analysis confirmed the presence of hydroxyapatite. The corrosion studies showed that the treated samples have better corrosion resistance compared to uncoated substrates. The formation of apatite on treated samples revealed the bioactivity of the Hap-coated substrates. HA-coated nearβ Titanium alloys provide higher corrosion protection than substrates, which can be used for biomedical implant applications.