Study of behavior alloy Ti and 316L in to simulated body fluid by electrochemical techniques

Abstract

In this work, Ti-316L stainless steel was produced, and its electrochemical behavior was characterized. Tisteel
alloys were produced using an induction furnace, by mixing commercial Ti and 316L stainless steel. Xray
diffraction analyses showed the presence of both the materials, Ti and 316L, in the samples produced.
The elemental composition of the materials was determined by optical emission spectroscopy and energydispersive
spectroscopy, which showed similar quantities of both the elements. Both commercial 316L
stainless steel and Ti–steel were studied in simulated biological fluid for imitate a like composition of body
blood plasma. Electrochemical experiments conducted at 37°C indicated the stable passive polarization
behavior of the Ti-steel alloy. Furthermore, the electrochemical behavior of the 316L stainless steel was also
analyzed for comparison purposes. Corrosion velocities were determined using the Tafel method and
corrosion resistances were obtained using the electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The Ti-steel
exhibited better protection capacity, compared with the commercial 316L steel. The corrosion velocity and
the passive current density of the Ti–steel alloy were lower than those exhibited by the 316L stainless steel.
Keywords: XRD, elemental composition, Tafel curves, corrosion velocity.