A Comparative Study on the Electrochemical Corrosion Behaviour of Biomedical β- Titanium Alloy with TiAlV and Titanium in Hank’s Physical Solution and the Impact of Reactive Oxygen Species and Immersion Time

Abstract

High biocompatibility with suitable mechanical qualities to prevent stress-shielding and subsequent implant loosening is represented by metal alloys based on titanium, zirconium, tantalum, and niobium. In Hunk's physiological solution (HPS), the comparative electrochemical corrosion behavior of the β-titanium alloy with TAV and titanium was investigated. In biomedical applications, the titanium and TAV materials could be substituted with the β- titanium alloy. Moreover, the impact of immersion duration and reactive oxygen species on the behavior of electrochemical corrosion was investigated. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), open-circuit potential (OCP), and potentiodynamic polarization curves (PPCs) methods were used to assess the corrosion resistance, accompanied by SEM surface analysis. Due to its lowest passive current and most stable passive state, the β-titanium alloy exhibits the strongest resistance to corrosion (Ipass = 0.049 ± 0.09 mA cm− 2 and highest Ecorr = − 0.487 ± 0.04 V) in comparison with that of TAV (0.069 ± 0.04 mA cm− 2, Ecorr = − 0.575 ± 0.05 V), and Ti (Ipass = 0.118 ± 0.02 mA cm− 2, Ecorr = − 0.538 ± 0.03 V) respectively. The data collected from PPCs, EIS, and OCP measurements reveals that the samples' corrosion resistance declines in the following order: β-titanium alloy > TAV alloy > Ti. The impact of different immersion times and H2O2 results indicates that the oxide film generated on the β-titanium alloy by immersion in HPS without H2O2 is very stable and protective. Moreover, the data reveal that the β-titanium alloy submerged for 5 days shows better resistance to corrosion than the alloys immersed for 20–60 days, suggesting that as the immersion duration reduces, the corrosion resistance of the β-titanium alloy enhances.