Electrochemical characterization of ZrTi alloys for biomedical applications

The electrochemical behaviour of three ZrTi alloys (Zr5Ti, Zr25Ti and Zr45Ti) in Ringer's solution has been investigated. Their resistance against localized corrosion has been determined from cyclic potentio-dynamic polarization (CCP) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements, whereas scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) was applied to investigate the local reactivity of the passive films developed on the materials, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was employed to characterize the surface morphology of the alloys subjected to anodic polarization. An increased reactivity could be detected with SECM when the metal samples were polarized at +0.50 V-SHE, though the extent of this feature greatly depended on the nature of the metallic material. In addition, At 37 degrees C, the Zr5Ti alloy was susceptible to localized corrosion. Though Zr25Ti alloy presented rather low pitting potential, the spontaneous corrosion potential of the material was sufficiently negative to require overpotentials around 600 mV for breakdown to occur. Finally, the Zr45Ti alloy exhibited a larger passive range in the polarization curve, and it was resistant to localized corrosion. (c) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.