Comparative Analysis of the Corrosion Resistance of Titanium Alloys Intended to Come into Direct or Prolonged Contact with Live Tissues.

The evaluation of the biological safety and degradation of materials is quite important for risk assessment in various biomedical applications. In this study, two procedures were followed to characterize the corrosion resistance of different Ti-based alloys. The first one consisted of performing specific electrochemical tests (open circuit potential, linear resistance polarization, Tafel plots, potentiodynamic polarization) in order to highlight their behavior to the general and localized corrosion.

Surface tension and viscosity of liquid PdCuNiP measured in a levitation device under microgravity.

Here we present measurements of surface tension and viscosity of the bulk glass-forming alloy PdCuNiP performed during containerless processing under reduced gravity. We applied the oscillating drop method in an electromagnetic levitation facility on board of parabolic flights. The measured viscosity exhibits a pronounced temperature dependence following an Arrhenius law over a temperature range from 1100 K to 1450 K.

Anisotropy of nickel release and corrosion in austenitic stainless steels.

The study of 316L-type stainless steel reveals a significant anisotropy of nickel release that is dependent on the orientation of the test surface with respect to the casting and rolling direction. Cross-sectional specimens (transversal cuts with respect to the rolling direction) show a substantially higher sensitivity to corrosion phenomena compared with longitudinal cuts and they release nickel ions at rates 10-100 times higher. These findings indicate that orientation needs to be taken into account when interpreting test results, in particular when comparing different grades of austenitic stainless steel, as well as in product and production design.

Characterization of a suite of ginkgo-containing standard reference materials.

A suite of three ginkgo-containing dietary supplement Standard Reference Materials (SRMs) has been issued by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) with certified values for flavonoid aglycones, ginkgolides, bilobalide, and selected toxic trace elements. The materials represent a range of matrices (i.e.

Comparative corrosion study of "Ni-free" austenitic stainless steels in view of medical applications.

The role of nickel in the biological response to alloys used in medical devices is of immense significance with regard to toxicology and biological performance. There is now a tendency to take nickel out of alloys for medical applications. However, this needs careful evaluation since no compromise is acceptable with regard to mechanical properties, corrosion resistance or any other harmful consequences due to the nickel substitution.