Integrated experimental and theoretical approach for corrosion and wear evaluation of laser surface nitrided, Ti-6Al-4V biomaterial in physiological solution.

A laser based surface nitriding process was adopted to further enhance the osseo-integration, corrosion resistance, and tribological properties of the commonly used bioimplant alloy, Ti-6Al-4V. Earlier preliminary osteoblast, electrochemical, and corrosive wear studies of laser nitrided titanium in simulated body fluid clearly revealed improvement of cell adhesion as well as enhancement in corrosion and wear resistance but mostly lacked the in-depth fundamental understanding behind these improvements. Therefore, a novel integrated experimental and theoretical approach were implemented to understand the physical phenomena behind the improvements and establish the property-structure-processing correlation of nitrided surface.

Laser induced nitrogen enhanced titanium surfaces for improved osseo-integration.

The osseo-integration, corrosion resistance, and tribological properties of the commonly used bioimplant alloy Ti-6Al-4V were enhanced using a laser-based surface nitridation process. The biomedical properties of the laser nitrided Ti-6Al-4V were investigated using experimental and computational methodologies. Electrochemical analysis of laser nitrided titanium in simulated body fluid (SBF) was performed to assess the biomedical characteristics in near-human body conditions.