Effects of Mo content on corrosion and tribocorrosion behaviours of Ti-Mo orthopaedic alloys fabricated by powder metallurgy

Abstract Effects of Mo content on corrosion and tribocorrosion of Ti-(8-20)Mo alloys fabricated by powder metallurgy (PM) were investigated. With a higher Mo content, the Ti-Mo alloys showed an increased corrosion resistance, and correspondingly their tribocorrosion resistance presented an initial increase but a subsequent decrease. Ti-16Mo alloy possessed the lowest wear rate of 1.0 × 10-3 mm3/m•N under tribocorrosion condition, which was about 30% of that of as-cast pure Ti (3.3 × 10-3 mm3/m•N) and 91% of that of Ti-6Al-4 V alloy (1.1 × 10-3 mm3/m•N), respectively. The highest tribocorrosion resistance and adequate corrosion resistance make the Ti-16Mo alloy a promising candidate for orthopaedic applications.