Tribocorrosion-resistant biofunctionalized Ti-Al2O3 composites

Abstract

Recent studies have shown that titanium matrix composites have potential for load-bearing biomedical implants due to their improved tribocorrosion behaviour compared to Ti and its alloys. However, lack of bioactivity remains as a concern due to bioinert Ti matrix and the fact that most reinforcement phases are also bioinert. In this work, biofunctionalized Ti-Al2O3 composites were produced by performing micro-arc oxidation treatment on the Ti-Al2O3 composites processed by hot-pressing technique. The overall microstructure consisted of Al2O3 particles dispersed within a biofunctionalized Ti matrix having a micro-porous structure rich in Ca and P elements. The corrosion behaviour of the composites was greatly improved after MAO treatment, whereas the tribocorrosion behaviour of the composites was also further improved after MAO treatment.