alloys: corrosion, passivity, and apatite formation

Glass-forming Ti-based alloys are considered as potential new materials for implant applications. Ti75Zr10Si15 and Ti60Zr10Nb15Si15 alloys (free of cytotoxic elements) can be produced as melt-spun ribbons with glassy matrix and embedded single b-type nanocrystals. The corrosion and pas- sivation behavior of these alloys in their homogenized melt- spun states have been investigated in Ringer solution at 37C in comparison to their cast multiphase crystalline counter- parts and to cp-Ti and b-type Ti-40Nb. All tested materials showed very low corrosion rates as expressed in corrosion current densities icorr < 50 nA/cm 2 . Electrochemical and sur- face analytical studies revealed a high stability of the new alloys passive states in a wide potential range. This corre- sponds to low passive current densities ipass 5 2 6 1 mA/cm 2