Tribocorrosion behavior of antibacterial Ti–Cu sintered alloys in simulated biological environments

Abstract

Abstract Ti–Cu alloys have strong antibacterial properties, high strength and excellent corrosion resistance, which might be used in orthopedic and dental implants. In this paper, the tribocorrosion behaviors of Ti–Cu alloy with different Cu contents were investigated in four simulated biological environments compared with cp‐Ti. The results showed that Ti–Cu sintered alloy exhibited higher corrosion resistance, lower coefficient friction and wear loss than cp‐Ti in all tested solutions due to the formation of fine and homogeneously distributed Ti 2 Cu phase, especially in solution with lower F ion and pH. High Cu content and extrusion process improved the corrosion resistance and the wear resistance because of high Ti 2 Cu phase fraction and fine grain size. However, aggressive solution, such as the solution with lower F ion and pH, accelerated wear in comparison with other solutions for cp‐Ti and Ti–Cu sintered alloys. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) surface morphology demonstrated that the wear mechanism of cp‐Ti during tribocorrosion process was mainly abrasive wear and adhesive wear while that of Ti–Cu alloy was abrasive wear. In summary, Ti–Cu sintered alloys showed much better tribocorrosion property than cp‐Ti, which shows great potential application in condition for wear and corrosion resistance.