Corrosion Behavior of Platinum-Enhanced Radiopaque Stainless Steel (PERSS®) for Dilation-Baloon Expandable Coronary Stents

Dilation-balloon expandable coronary stents are commonly made of implant grade stainless steels conforming to ASTM F138/F139, e.g., Biodur? 316LS (UNS S31673). Typical of such stents is the Boston Scientific/Interventional Technologies? (BS/IVT) LP-StentTM. In 2000, BS/IVT determined that the addition of 5 to 6 wt % platinum to Biodur 316LS produced a stainless steel with enhanced radiopacity to make their stents more visible radiographically and thus more effective clinically. A goal of the program was to ensure platinum additions would not adversely affect the corrosion resistance of Biodur 316LS. The corrosion resistance of 5-6 wt % PERSS? alloys and Biodur 316LS was determined using electrochemical tests for general, pitting, crevice and intergranular corrosion. Experimental methods included ASTM A262E, F746, F2129, and potentiodynamic polarization. The 6 wt % PERSS? alloy (IVT 78) had a resistance to pitting, crevice and intergranular corrosion that was similar to the Biodur 316LS base material. IVT 78 was a single-phase austenitic alloy with no evidence of inclusions or precipitates. It was more resistant to pitting corrosion than 5 wt % PERSS? alloys. Performance of the PERSS? alloys was not a function of alloy oxygen content in the range 0.01 to 0.03 wt %