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. Ti-steel alloys were produced using an induction furnace, by mixing commercial Ti and 316L stainless steel. X-ray 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 energy-dispersive 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.