Compatibility of ferritic and duplex stainless steels as implant materials: in vitro corrosion performance

The pitting corrosion, crevice corrosion and accelerated leaching of iron, chromium and nickel of super-ferritic and duplex stainless steels, and for effective comparison the presently used 316L stainless steel, have been studied in an artificial physiological solution (Hank's solution) by the potentiodynamic anodic polarization method. The results of the above studies have shown the new super-ferritic stainless steel to be immune to pitting and crevice corrosion attack. The pitting and crevice corrosion resistances of duplex stainless steel were found to be superior to those of the commonly used type 316L stainless steel implant materials. The accelerated leaching study conducted for the above alloys showed very little tendency for the leaching of metal ions when compared with 316L stainless steel. Thus the present study indicated that super-ferritic and duplex stainless steels can be adopted as implant materials due to their higher pitting and crevice corrosion resistance.     

Corrosion of bio implants

Chemical stability, mechanical behaviour and biocompatibility in body fluids and tissues are the basic requirements for successful application of implant materials in bone fractures and replacements. Corrosion is one of the major processes affecting the life and service of orthopaedic devices made of metals and alloys used as implants in the body. Among the metals and alloys known, stainless steels (SS), Co-Cr alloys and titanium and its alloys are the most widely used for the making of biodevices for extended life in human body. Incidences of failure of stainless steel implant devices reveal the occurrence of significant localised corroding viz., pitting and crevice corrosion. Titanium forms a stable TiO₂ film which can release titanium particles under wear into the body environment. To reduce corrosion and achieve better biocompatibility, bulk alloying of stainless steels with titanium and nitrogen, surface alloying by ion implantation of stainless steels and titanium and its alloys, and surface modification of stainless steel with bioceramic coatings are considered potential methods for improving the performance of orthopaedic devices. This review discusses these issues in depth and examines emerging directions.     

A review on nickel-free nitrogen containing austenitic stainless steels for biomedical applications

The field of biomaterials has become a vital area, as these materials can enhance the quality and longevity of human life. Metallic materials are often used as biomaterials to replace structural components of the human body. Stainless steels, cobalt–chromium alloys, commercially pure titanium and its alloys are typical metallic biomaterials that are being used for implant devices. Stainless steels have been widely used as biomaterials because of their very low cost as compared to other metallic materials, good mechanical and corrosion resistant properties and adequate biocompatibility. However, the adverse effects of nickel ions being released into the human body have promoted the development of “nickel-free nitrogen containing austenitic stainless steels” for medical applications. Nitrogen not only replaces nickel for austenitic structure stability but also much improves steel properties. Here we review the harmful effects associated with nickel and emphatically the advantages of nitrogen in stainless steel, as well as the development of nickel-free nitrogen containing stainless steels for medical applications. By combining the benefits of stable austenitic structure, high strength, better corrosion and wear resistance and superior biocompatibility in comparison to the currently used austenitic stainless steel (e.g. 316L), the newly developed nickel-free high nitrogen austenitic stainless steel is a reliable substitute for the conventionally used medical stainless steels.     

Service Experience with duplex stainless steels in the chemical industry

The 22% Cr, 5% Ni and 3% Mo grade of duplex stainless steel is by far the most used duplex grade in the chemical process industry. Duplex steels have conquered a portion of about 6% of all highly alloyed materials used to combat corrosion in chemical industry. The main areas being chloride containing aqueous media with pH values not to low-duplex steels are used there for their high stress corrosion resistance. Other fields of application are hot caustic soda at relatively low temperatures where nickel or nickel base alloys can be replaced, and media where high nickel contents are unfavourable to the corrosion resistance. Some literature findings showing other possible fields of special application of ?standard”? 22/5/3 and also of so called superduplex grades are critically evaluated.     

Effect of Molybdate Ions on the Corrosion Behaviour of Ti Alloys

1. IntroductionTitanium alloys are most often specified for industrial and chemical process service due to theirrelatively superior corrosion performance in chlorideand other -halide--containing' environments[1]. Moreoverl Ti-alloys are candidate materials for containersof high-level nuclear waste suitable for deep underground burial for geological formations for extremelylong periods of timelZ]. This is because Ti-alloys canmailltain passivation in the ranges of temperatures,PH and chloride…     

Bioactive Materials for Regenerative Medicine: Zeolite‐Hydroxyapatite Bone Mimetic Coatings

We report the synthesis and characterization of a novel zeolite‐hydroxyapatite composite coating on titanium alloys and stainless steel. The zeolite‐hydroxyapatite coating is superhydrophilic and outperforms the state‐of‐the‐art Ti6Al4V alloys in corrosion resistance tests in aggressive pitting NaCl media, phosphate buffer solution with BSA protein, as well as highly complex DMEM cell culture media. And the composite coating also eliminates the elastic modulus mismatch between coating and bone. In addition, the composite coating has an osteoconductive and osteoinductive effect on hFOBs, indicating that it may enhance osteointegration of implants and speed up post‐surgical recovery, and thus reduce the need for recurring implant replacement surgeries. Replacing titanium with zeolite‐hydroxyapatite coated steel can also significantly reduce implant cost while improving implant lifespan.     

In vitro corrosion resistance of Lotus-type porous Ni-free stainless steels

The corrosion behavior of three kinds of austenitic high nitrogen Lotus-type porous Ni-free stainless steels was examined in acellular simulated body fluid solutions and compared with type AISI 316L stainless steel. The corrosion resistance was evaluated by electrochemical techniques, the analysis of released metal ions was performed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) and the cytotoxicity was investigated in a culture of murine osteoblasts cells. Total immunity to localized corrosion in simulated body fluid (SBF) solutions was exhibited by Lotus-type porous Ni-free stainless steels, while Lotus-type porous AISI 316L showed very low pitting corrosion resistance evidenced by pitting corrosion at a very low breakdown potential. Additionally, Lotus-type porous Ni-free stainless steels showed a quite low metal ion release in SBF solutions. Furthermore, cell culture studies showed that the fabricated materials were non-cytotoxic to mouse osteoblasts cell line. On the basis of these results, it can be concluded that the investigated alloys are biocompatible and corrosion resistant and a promising material for biomedical applications.     

Super austenitic stainless steels — a promising replacement for the currently used type 316L stainless steel as the construction material for flue-gas desulphurization plant

Potentiodynamic anodic cyclic polarization experiments on type 316L stainless steel and 6Mo super austenitic stainless steels were carried out in simulated flue-gas desulphurization (FGD) environment in order to assess the localized corrosion resistance. The pitting corrosion resistance was higher in the case of the super austenitic stainless steel containing 6Mo and a higher amount of nitrogen. The pit-protection potential of these alloys was more noble than the corrosion potential, indicating the higher repassivation tendency of actively growing pits in these alloys. The accelerated leaching study conducted for the above alloys showed that the super austenitic stainless steels have a little tendency for leaching of metal ions such as iron, chromium and nickel at different impressed potentials. This may be due to surface segregation of nitrogen as CrN, which would, in turn, enrich a chromium and molybdenum mixed oxide film and thus impedes the release of metal ions. The present study indicates that the 6Mo super austenitics can be adopted as a promising replacement for the currently used type 316L stainless steel as the construction material for FGD plants.     

Cytotoxicity study of plasma-sprayed hydroxyapatite coating on high nitrogen austenitic stainless steels

Stainless steel has been frequently used for temporary implants but its use as permanent implants is restricted due to its low pitting corrosion resistance. Nitrogen additions to these steels improve both mechanical properties and corrosion resistance, particularly the pitting and crevice corrosion resistance. Many reports concerning allergic reactions caused by nickel led to the development of nickel free stainless steel; it has excellent mechanical properties and very high corrosion resistance. On the other hand, stainless steels are biologically tolerated and no chemical bonds are formed between the steel and the bone tissue. Hydroxyapatite coatings deposited on stainless steels improve osseointegration, due their capacity to form chemical bonds (bioactive fixation) with the bone tissue. In this work hydroxyapatite coatings were plasma-sprayed on three austenitic stainless steels: ASTM-F138, ASTM-F1586 and the nickel-free Böhler-P558. The coatings were analyzed by SEM and XDR. The cytotoxicity of the coatings/steels was studied using the neutral red uptake method by quantitative evaluation of cell viability. The three uncoated stainless steels and the hydroxyapatite coated Böhler-P558 did not have any toxic effect on the cell culture. The hydroxyapatite coated ASTM-F138 and ASTM-F1586 stainless steels presented cytotoxicity indexes (IC_50%) lower than 50% and high nickel contents in the extracts.     

固溶处理对2205双相不锈钢耐蚀性能的影响

利用箱式电阻炉、金相显微镜、电化学工作站等设备研究固溶处理温度对2205不锈钢在不同介质中显微组织和耐蚀性的影响。结果表明,随着固溶温度升高,奥氏体含量不断减少,铁素体含量不断增多;在p H值不同的溶液中,双相不锈钢的耐蚀性能有一定差异:酸性溶液中,在1 050℃左右进行固溶处理,此时的双相不锈钢奥氏体与铁素体含量比接近1∶1,耐酸性能较好,而在碱性溶液中,1 100℃固溶处理时的腐蚀速度较小,耐蚀性能较好;1 100℃固溶处理的双相不锈钢在含氯离子的环境中虽无明显钝化区,但腐蚀速率较小,具有一定耐点蚀性能。     

Untersuchungen an magnesiumbasierten Legierungen als neue Materialien in der Implantologie

Exploration of Magnesium Alloys as New Material for Implantation Magnesium‐based alloys show as well a fitting Youngs's Modulus (45 GPa) referring to the corticalis as high physico‐chemical biocompatibility due to its essential character. The biodegradation of Magnesium‐alloys could be used to obtain temporary implants. The corrosion resistance of commercial alloys as AM20 and AZ31 and testing materials with higher biocompatibility, basing on cph Mg‐Li, is tested in a body ullage.     

Failure cases related to material issues in wet-process phosphoric acid plant

The present paper describes three failure cases of metallic components handling wet-process phosphoric acid at ambient temperatures in a phosphate fertilizer plant. All the three cases of failure were related not directly to the corrosive environment rather to wrong selection or inferior quality of materials. In the first case, pipeline of stainless steel 316L failed due to inferior quality of material used in the elbow region. The elbow material was not a low carbon grade stainless steel and was also in heavily sensitized condition which led to intergranular corrosion and intergranular cracking. The other two cases were related to failures of pump sleeves made up of cast alloys equivalent to stainless steel 316 and Hastelloy C-276 respectively. SS 316 showed through-wall pitting and cracking while Hastelloy C-276 had undergone extensive corrosion along the interdendritic boundaries. Both the materials contained high carbon content which led to heavy precipitation of carbides (Cr-rich carbides in SS 316 and Mo-rich carbides in C-276) along inter-dendritic boundaries during solidification of the casting reducing their corrosion resistance. Recommendations to avoid such failures are also suggested.     

Improved electrochemical performance of nitrocarburised stainless steel by hydrogenated amorphous carbon thin films for bone tissue engineering

In this study, hydrogenated amorphous carbon thin films, structurally similar to diamond‐like carbon (DLC), were deposited on the surface of untreated and plasma nitrocarburised (Nitrocarburizing‐treated) stainless steel medical implants using a plasma‐enhanced chemical vapour deposition method. The deposited DLC thin films on the nitrocarburising‐treated implants (CN+DLC) exhibited an appropriate adhesion to the substrates. The results clearly indicated that the applied DLC thin films showed excellent pitting and corrosion resistance with no considerable damage on the surface in comparison with the other samples. The CN+DLC thin films could be considered as an efficient approach for improving the biocompatibility and chemical inertness of metallic implants.Inspec keywords: tissue engineering, bone, biomedical materials, electrochemistry, amorphous state, carbon, hydrogen, thin films, plasma CVD, adhesion, corrosion resistance, surface hardeningOther keywords: electrochemical performance, plasma nitrocarburised stainless steel medical implants, hydrogenated amorphous carbon thin films, bone tissue engineering, plasma‐enhanced chemical vapour deposition method, adhesion, corrosion resistance, biocompatibility, chemical inertness, metallic implants, C:H     

Comparative study of some metallic biomaterials used as implants

The electrochemical behavior of two Ti alloys (TA and TAV) and two grades of stainless steels (SS₁ and SS₂), commonly used as biomedical implant materials, particularly for orthopedic and osteosynthesis applications, was investigated in Hank's solution at 37 °C and different pH. The aim was to distinguish between the behavior of these materials in artificial physiological solution through analysis of their corrosion potential variation with time and potentiodynamic polarization curves. Characterization of the modified surface layers was made by means of microscopic examinations, hardness measurements and X‐ray diffraction analysis. The results indicated that in neutral Hank's solution (pH = 7.2) SS₂ and SS₁ samples were of higher corrosion resistance than titanium alloys. The behavior was reversed in the acidic media (pH = 5.0 or 3.0), where TA had the least corrosion rate and the corrosion susceptibility increased in the order TA < TAV < SS₁ < SS₂.     

Microstructure and corrosion behaviour of FeCoNiCuSnx high entropy alloys

Abstract

The FeCoNiCuSn_x alloys with different Sn contents are prepared, the microstructure and the corrosion behaviour of the alloys are investigated. When Sn content is lower than 0.09, FeCoNiCuSn_x alloys consist of a single FCC phase. While Sn content of the alloy is 0.09, a small quantity of BCC structure is present. The FeCoNiCuSn_x alloys have a wider passive region in the NaOH solution. FeCoNiCuSn_x alloys exhibit a better corrosion resistance in NaCl solution than 304 stainless steel, the corrosion resistance of FeCoNiCuSn_0.04 alloy is best among all the alloys. The corrosion resistance of FeCoNiCuSn_x alloys in NaOH solution is lower than that of 304 stainless steel, the corrosion resistance of FeCoNiCuSn_0.03 alloy is best among all FeCoNiCuSn_x alloys.     

Functional properties of a spark plasma sintered ultrafine-grained 316L steel

A micrometric austenitic stainless steel 316L powder was densified by spark plasma sintering. The process parameters were varied over wide ranges and the impact of such variations on sintered materials was studied through the characterization of their microstructures, densities, hardness and corrosion resistance. For comparison with the properties of traditionally cast 316L, all these investigations were also systematically carried out on as cast samples. The sintered stainless steel produced this way was highly densified, with grains of a micrometric size and the forming process did not induce any residual strain gradients as shown by transmission electronic microscopy analysis. The investigation of the corresponding mechanical properties reveals an enhancement of hardness up to twice the value measured on one sample of as cast 316L. This result is in good agreement with the Hall–Petch formalism. Additionally, in the matter of corrosion behavior, fully dense samples display an enhanced passive state in chloride media compared to as cast material. Spark plasma sintering appears to be an interesting alternative elaboration way of ultrafine 316L stainless steel giving materials with high stress resistance, without strain gradients through the volume, and promising functional properties concerning corrosion behavior.     

Influence of remelting on microstructure,hardness and corrosion behaviour of AlCoCrFeNiTi high entropy alloy

Abstract

High entropy alloys are a newly developed class of alloys, which tend to form a single solid solution or a mixture of solid solutions with simple crystal structures. These alloys possess excellent mechanical properties, thermal stability and corrosion resistance. In the present paper, an AlCoCrFeNiTi high entropy alloy was obtained by induction melting, and the influence of the remelting process on the mechanical and corrosion resistance characteristics of the alloy was investigated. Thus, optical and scanning electron microscopy revealed less phase segregation and a fine dendritic structure for the remelted alloy, while corrosion tests indicated that present alloy, in remelted state, has better corrosion resistance than as cast alloy and stainless steel. The Vickers microhardness measurements demonstrated an improvement of the alloy microhardness by remelting process due to the decrease in phase segregation and the increase in dendrite refinement level.     

Processing and mechanical properties of autogenous titanium implant materials

Pure titanium and some of its alloys are currently considered as the most attractive metallic materials for biomedical applications due to their excellent mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, and biocompatibility. It has been demonstrated that titanium and titanium alloys are well accepted by human tissues as compared to other metals such as SUS316L stainless steel and Co–Cr–Mo type alloy. In the present study, highly porous titanium foams with porosities 80% are produced by using a novel powder metallurgical process, which includes the adding of the selected spacers into the starting powders. The optimal process parameters are investigated. The porous titanium foams are characterized by using optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy. The distribution of the pore size is measured by quantitative image analyses. The mechanical properties are investigated by compressive tests. This open-cellular titanium foams, with the pore size of 200–500 m are expected to be a very promising biomaterial candidates for bone implants because its porous structure permits the ingrowths of new-bone tissues and the transport of body fluids.     

Pitting corrosion resistance of La added 316L stainless steel in simulated body fluids

Lanthanum (La), a rare earth element with anticoagulative and antiphlogistic function, was added into the medical grade 316L stainless steel in order to improve its biocompatibility. The corrosion resistance of the La added 316L steel in two different simulated body fluids, simulated blood plasma and Hank's solution, was evaluated. The result showed that the addition of La in the steel could largely affect the corrosion behavior of the steel. The steel with 0.01% La showed the widest passive region and the best resistance to pitting attack, within the addition range of La from 0.01% to 0.08%. The corrosion resistance improvement of La added 316L stainless steel is probably due to the effect of La on the purification of the steel, the modification of inclusions, and the passive film formation in the simulated body fluids.     

Advances in DLC coatings by hybrid PSII and PECVD as a barrier to corrosion in simulated body fluid*

In this study, diamond-like carbon (DLC) films were deposited on biomedical AISI316L stainless steel by hybrid plasma source ion implantation (PSII) and plasma-enhanced chemical vapour deposition (PECVD). Potentiodynamic polarization tests and Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) have been employed to investigate the corrosion performance of different DLC films in Tyrode's simulated body fluid (pH = 7.4). The corrosion resistance of the DLC films by PECVD deteriorated rapidly after 24 h of immersion, but those made by hybrid PSII and PECVD offered more effective barrier for AISI316L stainless steel during 72 h of immersion. The test results demonstrated that the DLC film by hybrid PSII and PECVD possessed less corrosion current density, greater corrosion resistance, and more positive breakdown potential in simulated body fluid.