Effect of reinforcing submicron SiC particles on the wear of electrolytic NiP coatings Part 2: Bi-directional sliding

As-plated and heat-treated electrodeposited NiP and composite NiP-SiC coatings were investigated in bi-directional ball-on-disc sliding tests. All tests were performed under gross slip conditions. Heat treatment decreases the wear volume loss during fretting in ambient air for all coatings investigated. Heat-treated NiP coating has a lower wear volume loss compared to composite NiP-SiC coatings for all sliding tests. The wear rate at the bi-directional sliding test was found to be lower relative to the wear rate at uni-directional sliding test

Effect of reinforcing submicron SiC particles on the wear of electrolytic NiP coatings Part 1. Uni-directional sliding

As-plated and annealed NiP coatings and composite NiP-SiC coatings were investigated in uni-directional ball-on-disc sliding tests. Abrasive wear was noticed in the case of composite NiP coatings containing submicron SiC particles, whereas in NiP coatings oxidational wear was active. The addition of submicron SiC particles not only increases the hardness of these electrolytic coatings but also hinders the formation of an oxide film in the sliding wear track. As a consequence, the wear loss on as-plated NiP coatings is not markedly reduced by the addition of SiC particles. On the contrary, a heat treatment at 420 °C for 1 h decreases the wear loss on both pure NiP and composite NiP-SiC coatings. During that heat treatment, Ni3P precipitates are formed in the NiP matrix and owing to this fact, the hardness of both pure NiP and composite NiP-SiC coatings increases. However, the heat treatment of composite NiP-SiC coatings induces the sensitivity for crack formation in the NiP matrix around these SiC particles. As a result, the pull out of SiC particles in the wear track occurs easily during sliding, and the wear loss of composite NiP-SiC coatings remains above the wear loss on NiP coatings

Electrochemical study of the repassivation of titanium in different artificial saliva solutions

The passive film presented at the dental implant surfaces can be damaged or eventually destroyed during insertion and implantation into hard tissue due to abrasion/wear with bone or other materials. However, when the wear action stops, the surface will tend to regenerate immediately, and a new passive film will be formed. In such conditions we are in the presence of a tribo-electrochemical phenomenon which comprises the analysis of two different processes and of the synergism effects between them. In fact, the mechanisms of mechanical degradation due to wear might be influenced by the presence of a corrosive environments, but the electrochemical behaviour of the material is likely to be modified by the presence of the mechanical solicitation and by the presence of wear debris and/or the formation of tribolayers. Also, the repassivation kinetics of the tribocorrosion system during or after mechanical damage becomes an important issue to be studied. This work deals with the study of the repassivation of titanium when in contact with artificial saliva solutions, after mechanical damage. Samples were immersed in different kinds of artificial saliva solutions (artificial saliva (AS), AS + citric acid, AS + anodic, cathodic or organic inhibitor). After stabilisation the passive film was mechanically disrupted and the open-circuit potential (OCP) was monitored both during the mechanical damage and until the repassivation was completed. Additionally, and in order to evaluate the quality of the passive film, EIS measurements were performed before and after mechanical disruption of the passive film. The effect of pH variation and of electrolyte composition on the repassivation evolution was also investigated. Considering the evolution of the open circuit potential represented in figure 1 the approximation ln(E) = ln(k) + b*ln(t) was used to study the repassivation evolution with the time. As it can be observed, the open circuit potential achieved before and after the mechanical damage varies, which indicates that the nature of the electrolyte influences the properties of the passive film. As indicated by the b values presented in Table 1, after repassivation, the AS + citric acid is the solution that provides better repassivation evolution with the time. In contrast, the AS + cathodic inhibitor is the solution that provides worst repassivation evolution. However, the EIS results suggests that AS solution is that providing the most stable and thick passive film. The results obtained with the AS + cathodic or + organic solution shows that these solutions do not have a good influence on the film growth

Tribological behaviour of oral mixed biofilms

The use of dental implants has been increasing even though failures do occur. The presence of wear debris and oral microorganisms can contribute to infections and jeopardize implant integration. The aim of this work was to study the influence of mixed biofilms in the tribological behaviour of commercially pure titanium for dental implants under different concentrations of fluoride. Samples of titanium with two different surface topographies were used. Mixed biofilms of Candida albicans and Streptococcus mutans were formed on both surfaces at 37 °C in a tryptic soy broth containing mucin, peptone, yeast extract and sucrose. After 8 days, biofilm biomass was analysed by crystal violet staining method. Biofilm biomass was significantly higher for the samples with higher roughness. Some samples with biofilms were analysed under friction (using a force of 100 mN) in an artificial saliva solution (Fusayama) without or with different concentrations of fluoride (30 and 227 ppm). It was verified that the coefficient of friction (COF) decreased in the presence of biofilms. Moreover, samples with more biomass (0.4 μm of roughness) presented the lowest values of COF. Concerning the effect of the presence of fluoride, although there were no significant differences on the COF for 30 ppm, for 227 ppm a transition regimen was observed. These results were confirmed by sample observation under scanning electron microscopy. In conclusion, it can be highlighted that biofilm formation on dental implants can significantly affect the tribological behaviour of titanium, namely, the presence of biofilms reduces the release of wear debris

Repassivation of commercially pure Ti in different saliva solutions under tribocorrosion conditions

The surface of dental implants can undergo wear during insertion and implantation into hard tissue, or, in some conditions, during its lifetime. As a consequence, the passive film presented at the implant surface can be damaged or even totally destroyed. However, if the wear action stops the surface might regenerate, giving origin to a new passive film. As all the process occurs in the presence of a chemical aggressive environment, human saliva, the material is under tribocorrosion conditions. It is also possible to introduce the concept of tribo-electrochemistry which may include two main research areas: the tribocorrosion, where the mechanical solicitations in corrosive environments are studied, and the electrochemistry of film free surfaces, where repassivation kinetics is studied after the removal of the protective oxide film on a passive metal. The main aim of this work was to study the repassivation evolution of commercially pure Ti in artificial saliva solutions. Grade 2 commercial pure titanium samples were subjected to a small alternative sliding in a pin-on-plate tribometer against a corundum ball. At the same time, open-circuit potential (OCP) measurements were performed, before, during and after mechanical disruption of the passive film. Also, to obtain a more detailed information on the characteristics of the original and reformed passive film, EIS measurements were done before and after the mechanical damage. All the test were performed in different kinds of artificial saliva solutions (artificial saliva (AS), AS + citric acid, AS + anodic, cathodic or organic inhibitor). Additionally, the effect of pH and electrolyte composition on the repassivation evolution was also investigated. Finally, all samples were characterized using SEM, EDS, and AFM. Surface roughness was also evaluated. Results show that, in some solutions, the open circuit potential, after repassivation, is more noble than that measured before sliding. Also, the repassivation evolution appears to be strongly affected by the electrolyte nature. The AS + citric acid is the solution that provides a better repassivation evolution with the time, however the stability of the passive film takes some time to be acquired. Also, this solution does not provide a very thick film

Influence of the presence of biofilms on the biotribocorrosion of titanium

Even though titanium (Ti) has the ability to develop a highly stable passive oxide layer (TiO2) that provides an excellent corrosion resistance; it’s not inert to corrosive attack. Under in vivo conditions, such as in orthopedic and dental implants, a tribological contact may be formed in association with a chemical aggressive environment. Consequently, wear debris and corrosion products or ions can lead to inflammatory reactions, such as osteolysis (bone resorption), provoking peri-prosthetic bone loss and subsequent loosening of the implant/prosthesis [1]. The microbial effect on the corrosion of metallic biomaterials remains unknown. Chang et al. [2] reported an increase on the corrosion behaviour of dental metallic materials in the presence of Streptococcus mutans and its growth byproducts. Moreover, brushing can lead to the production of wear debris, which together with the attachment of microbes can disturb the passivity of the metal oxide. In addition, the organic acids produced by bacteria may reduce the pH, favoring the corrosion and tribocorrosion of implants. The aim of this work was to study the influence of mixed biofilms on the biotribocorrosion behaviour of commercially pure (cp) Ti for dental implants, and the consequent effect of fluoride

Tribocorrosion behaviour of titanium in artificial saliva solutions

Dental implants are used to replace teeth lost due to decay, trauma or periodontal disease. In last years, the demand for such implants has increased exponentially due mostly to the ageing of the population and/or increased reliability of implant therapy. To choose a material for a particular rehabilitation treatment different characteristics must be considered such as mechanical strength, elastic properties, machinability, chemical resistance, etc. There is, however, one aspect that is always of prime importance; namely how the tissue at the implant site responds to the chemical disturbance imposed by the presence of a foreign material. In this work, commercially pure titanium (grade 2) was selected mainly due to its excellent corrosion behaviour and biocompatibility, that make this material one of the most used in dentistry. The tribocorrosion behaviour of the material in conditions simulating mastication, when in contact with artificial saliva solutions was investigated. Corundum was used as counterface material. The tests were performed, at MTM- KULeuven (Belgium), in a fretting machine specially adapted for tribocorrosion experiments. A normal load of 2 N was applied to the specimens and a displacement amplitude of 200µm at a frequency of 1 Hz. The number of cycles was varied between 5.000 and 10.000. In order to simulate different environmental conditions, simple artificial saliva (0.7%KCl + 1,2%NaCl; pH =6), artificial saliva with corrosion catalyst (citric acid), and artificial saliva with anodic, cathodic and organic corrosion inhibitors (sodium nitrite, calcium carbonate or benzotriazole, respectively), was used. The tribocorrosion degradation mechanisms were investigated by Electrochemical Noise technique (TEN), which combines Electrochemical Emission Spectroscopy with fretting tests [1]. After being tested, the surface of the samples was investigated by SEM and EDX. Roughness measurements and wear volume measurements were also performed. The depassivation/repassivation phenomena occurring during the tests were clearly detected, and are discussed. Considering the influence of the corrosion inhibitors, it was possible to observe that the degree of protection varies with the nature of the inhibitor.(undefined

Influence of pH and corrosion inhibitors on the tribocorrrosion of titanium in artificial saliva

Dental implants are used to replace teeth lost due to decay, trauma, or periodontal iseases. Dental implants are most of the times ubjected tomicro-movements at the implant/bone interface or implant/porcelain interface (due to the transmitted mastication loads) and chemical solicitations (oral environment). Such implant becomes part of tribocorrosion system, which may undergo a complex degradation process that can lead to implant failure. In this work, the fretting–corrosion behaviour of titanium grade 2 in contact with artificial saliva was investigated under fretting test conditions. Citric acid was added to artificial saliva to investigate a pH variation on the tribocorrosion behaviour of the material. Additionally, three different inhibitors were added to investigate cathodic and anodic reactions on the electrochemical response. Also, the influence of inhibitors included in the formulation of tooth cleaning agents or medicines was investigated. Degradation mechanisms were investigated by electrochemical noise technique that provided information on the evolution of corrosion potential and corrosion current during fretting tests. Depassivation and repassivation phenomena occurring during the tests were detected and discussed. Considering the influence of corrosion inhibitors, it was observed that the degree of protection varies with the nature of the inhibitors