Hybrid diffusive/PVD treatments to improve the tribological resistance of Ti-6Al-4V.

Titanium alloys are nowadays used for a wide range of biomedical applications thanks to their combination of high mechanical resistance, high corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. Nevertheless, the applicability of titanium alloys is sometimes limited due to their low microhardness and tribological resistance. Thus the titanium alloys cannot be successfully applied to prosthetic joint couplings. A wide range of surface treatments, in particular PVD coatings such as CrN and TiN, have been used in order to improve the tribological behaviour of titanium alloys. However, the low microhardness of the titanium substrate often results in coating failure due to cracks and delamination. For this reason, hybrid technologies based on diffusive treatments and subsequent PVD coatings may improve the overall coating resistance. In this work, conventional PVD coatings of CrN or TiCN, deposited on Titanium Grade 5, were characterized and then combined with a standard thermal diffusive nitriding treatment in order to improve the tribological resistance of the titanium alloys and avoid coating delamination. The different treatments were studied by means of scanning electron microscopy both on the sample surface and in cross-section. In-depth composition profiles were obtained using glow discharge optical emission spectrometry (GDOES) and localized energy dispersive X-ray diffraction on linear scan-lines. The microhardness and adhesion properties of the different treatments were evaluated using Vickers microhardness tests at different load conditions. The indentations were observed by means of SEM in order to evaluate delaminated areas and the crack's shape and density. The tribological behaviour of the different treatments was tested in dry conditions and in solution, in alternate pin-on-flat configuration, with a frequency of 0.5 Hz. After testing, the surface was investigated by means of stylus profilometry and SEM both on the surface and in cross-section. The standalone PVD coatings show a limited tribological resistance due to the low hardness of the substrate, which results in fractures and delamination. The combination of a diffusive process and a subsequent PVD coating shows a stronger effect in improving the tribological resistance of the substrate.

Characterization of grade 2 commercially pure Trabecular Titanium structures.

In this work, two different cellular solid structures, obtained by EBM using grade 2 Titanium powders, were investigated. Relative density was evaluated comparing different methods, the mean diameter of the singular open porosity was calculated by SEM image post-processing; the chemical composition was evaluated using Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (EDXS); the microstructure and grain dimension were investigated using chemical etching and, the mechanical properties were investigated using UMTS 810 Materials Test System. The mean porosity values resulted to be similar to spongy bone (around 77% for sample A and 89% for sample B). The mean diameter of the single porosity resulted to be 640 µm for A and 1250 µm for B. The Vickers microhardness results were homogeneous among the structure and the chemical etching showed a complex microstructure characterized by irregular shaped grains. Sample A, as expected, is more resistant than sample B, while sample B shows a lower elastic modulus.

Anodic titanium oxide as immobilized photocatalyst in UV or visible light devices.

Titanium anodizing can be a powerful technique to generate photoactive oxides, strongly adherent to the metallic substrate, and to modify their chemical composition by inducing doping effects. This work investigates the photocatalytic behavior of differently obtained anodic TiO(2) films under UV and visible light irradiation, so as to define the best treatment for wastewaters purifiers. Anodizing was performed in H(3)PO(4) and H(2)SO(4) mixtures or in fluoride containing electrolytes. Morphology, elemental composition and crystal structure of the anodic films were characterized by XDR, GDOES and SEM. When amorphous oxides were obtained, an annealing treatment was used to promote the formation of anatase crystals. Annealing was also performed in nitrogen atmosphere to induce nitrogen doping. The photocatalytic efficiency of anatase-enriched TiO(2) was investigated in rhodamine B photodegradation. Doping was induced not only by annealing but also directly by anodizing, and generated photoactivity in both the UV and Vis components of light.