Microstructural and Mechanical Investigations on Porcelain-Fused-to-Metal in Multilayer System

Results on porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM) technique of ceramic films for biomedical applications on metal substrate are reported. The coating of metallic implants with bio-ceramic films (glassy and opaque ceramic) was proposed to be a solution for combining the mechanical properties of the metallic material with the bioactive character of the ceramic layer, leading to a better integration of the entire implant. The aim of this paper is to determine a stress field distribution by a non-destructive method as high-energy synchrotron X-ray diffraction in energy dispersive in the metal and glass ceramic bulk as well as at metal-opaque ceramic interface in PFM three layers sample. Tensile stresses were found in palladium substrate and compressive state in glass ceramic coating. Moreover thermal stresses induced by PFM coating at the interfaces were calculated by analytical mathematical model, confirming that the stresses induced, due to the selection of the materials, are low. Finally, the micro-structural and chemical characteristics of glassy and opaque bio-ceramic coatings on palladium alloy substrate were investigated and no inter-diffusion area between metal and ceramic could be detected as well as non-homogeneity in the interface ceramic.