Characterization of Ti-35Nb alloy surface modified by controlled chemical oxidation for surgical implant applications

• Published in: Matéria 2019, Vol.24 (3)
• Main Authors: Silva, Rodrigo Sacramento da, Ribeiro, Alexandre Antunes
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: CONSTRUCTION & BUILDING TECHNOLOGY; MATERIALS SCIENCE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY; METALLURGY & METALLURGICAL ENGINEERING
• ISSN: 1517-7076; 1517-7076
• DOI: 10.1590/s1517-707620190003.0709

ABSTRACT Titanium-Niobium alloys have been studied for biomedical applications due to their satisfactory biocompatibility. In order to improve the long-term implantation, surface modification techniques have been developed to generate suitable topography, roughness, chemical composition, surface energy, etc. Considering this approach, the present work aimed to characterize Titanium-35Niobium (Ti-35Nb) surface modified by controlled chemical oxidation. Ti-35Nb (wt%) substrates were processed by powder metallurgy. The powders were mechanically mixed, uniaxially cold pressed and sintering at 1300ºC/2h. Then, the sintered substrates were immersed in a solution consisting of equal volumes of concentrated H2SO4 and 30% aqueous H2O2 for 4 hours at room temperature under continuous agitation. Sample characterizations were performed by scanning electron microscopy, profilometry, contact angle measurement, X-ray diffraction, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The results showed that the samples exhibited a microporous structure with micro-roughness on surface, and the β-Ti phase was stabilized by complete niobium atoms diffusion in titanium matrix. In addition, the chemical treatment successfully modified the Ti-35Nb surface with micropore formation and enhancement of hydrophilic feature and TiO2 and Nb2O5 layer, which can improve the biocompatibility of TiNb alloy implants.