Electrochemical Behavior of Electron Beam Powder Bed Fused Ti536 Alloy under Simulated Inflammatory Conditions

doi:10.1007/s40195-025-01846-w

Abstract

Abstract:

Additive manufacturing (AM), as an advanced manufacturing technology, enables the production of personalized orthopedic implant devices with complex geometries that closely resemble bone structures. Titanium and its alloys are extensively employed in biomedical fields like orthopedics and dentistry, thanks to the excellent compatibility with the human body and high corrosion resistance due to the existence of a thin protective oxide layer known as TiO₂ upon exposure to oxygen on the surface. However, in joint inflammation, reactive oxygen species like hydrogen peroxide and radicals can damage the passive film on Ti implants, leading to their deterioration. Although AM technology for metallic implants is still developing, advancements in printing and new alloys are crucial for widespread use. This work aims to investigate the corrosion resistance of in-situ alloyed Ti536 (Ti5Al3V6Cu) alloy produced through electron beam powder bed fusion (EB-PBF) under simulated peri-implant inflammatory conditions. The corrosion resistance was evaluated using electrochemical experiments conducted in the presence of 0.1% H₂O₂ in a physiological saline solution (0.9% NaCl) to replicate the conditions that may occur during post-operative inflammation. The findings demonstrate that the micro-environment surrounding the implant during peri-implant inflammation is highly corrosive and can lead to the degradation of the TiO₂ passive layer. Physiological saline with H₂O₂ significantly increased biomaterial open circuit potential up to 0.36 mV vs. Ag/AgCl compared to physiological saline only. Potentiodynamic polarization (PDP) plots confirm this increase, as well. The PDP and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) tests indicated that adding Cu does not impact the corrosion resistance of the Ti536 alloy initially under simulated inflammatory conditions, but prolonged immersion leads to enhanced corrosion resistance for all biomaterials tested, indicating the formation of an oxide layer after the reduction of the solution oxidizing power. These results suggest that modifying custom alloys by adding appropriate elements significantly enhances corrosion resistance, particularly in inflammatory conditions.

Key words: Additive manufacturing, Electron beam powder bed fusion, In-situ alloying, Electrochemical characterizations-Inflammatory conditions

Amir Behjat, Saber Sanaei, Mohammad Hossein Mosallanejad, Masoud Atapour, Abdollah Saboori. Electrochemical Behavior of Electron Beam Powder Bed Fused Ti536 Alloy under Simulated Inflammatory Conditions[J]. Acta Metallurgica Sinica (English Letters), 2025, 38(6): 969-980.

Figures/Tables 9

References 50

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Simulated conditions	Samples	E_corr (V vs. Ag/AgCl)	I_corr (μA·cm^-2)	I_pass (μA·cm⁻²)
0.9% NaCl	Ti6Al4V	− 0.025 ± 0.138	0.042 ± 0.004	0.39 ± 0.03
0.9% NaCl	Ti5Al3V6Cu	− 0.035 ± 0.015	0.026 ± 0.002	6.17 ± 0.06
0.9% NaCl + H₂O₂	Ti6Al4V	0.165 ± 0.013	0.031 ± 0.003	-
0.9% NaCl + H₂O₂	Ti5Al3V6Cu	0.203 ± 0.174	0.044 ± 0.004	-

Simulated conditions	Samples	E_corr (V vs. Ag/AgCl)	I_corr (μA·cm^-2)	I_pass (μA·cm⁻²)
0.9% NaCl	Ti6Al4V	− 0.025 ± 0.138	0.042 ± 0.004	0.39 ± 0.03
0.9% NaCl	Ti5Al3V6Cu	− 0.035 ± 0.015	0.026 ± 0.002	6.17 ± 0.06
0.9% NaCl + H₂O₂	Ti6Al4V	0.165 ± 0.013	0.031 ± 0.003	-
0.9% NaCl + H₂O₂	Ti5Al3V6Cu	0.203 ± 0.174	0.044 ± 0.004	-

Simulated conditions	Immersion time (h)	Samples	R_s (Ω cm²)	R_p (kΩ cm²)	Q_pl (10⁻⁵ Ω^-1 cm⁻² Sⁿ)	n	C_eff (10⁻⁵ F cm⁻²)	d_eff (nm)
0.9% NaCl	2	Ti6Al4V	73.73 ± 0.13	44.53 ± 0.23	6.42 ± 0.23	0.87	2.93 ± 0.13	1.36 ± 0.17
	2	Ti5Al3V6Cu	73.62 ± 0.12	19.94 ± 0.16	6.41 ± 0.08	0.86	2.48 ± 0.12	1.61 ± 0.14
	24	Ti6Al4V	57.27 ± 0.12	53.18 ± 0.13	6.82 ± 0.15	0.88	2.834 ± 0.23	1.41 ± 0.16
	24	Ti5Al3V6Cu	59.61 ± 0.15	25.6 ± 0.12	7.08 ± 0.14	0.87	2.12 ± 0.16	1.88 ± 0.12
0.9% NaCl + H₂O₂	2	Ti6Al4V	97.31 ± 0.22	5.88 ± 0.14	3.21 ± 0.15	0.89	1.65 ± 0.07	2.04 ± 0.11
	2	Ti5Al3V6Cu	83.99 ± 0.81	2.03 ± 0.31	1.96 ± 0.08	0.89	1.52 ± 0.05	2.13 ± 0.13
	24	Ti6Al4V	68.09 ± 0.23	17.76 ± 0.53	1.76 ± 0.29	0.90	1.93 ± 0.13	2.64 ± 0.21
	24	Ti5Al3V6Cu	51.30 ± 0.15	12.3 ± 0.14	1.93 ± 0.14	0.87	1.87 ± 0.13	2.46 ± 0.14

Simulated conditions	Immersion time (h)	Samples	R_s (Ω cm²)	R_p (kΩ cm²)	Q_pl (10⁻⁵ Ω^-1 cm⁻² Sⁿ)	n	C_eff (10⁻⁵ F cm⁻²)	d_eff (nm)
0.9% NaCl	2	Ti6Al4V	73.73 ± 0.13	44.53 ± 0.23	6.42 ± 0.23	0.87	2.93 ± 0.13	1.36 ± 0.17
	2	Ti5Al3V6Cu	73.62 ± 0.12	19.94 ± 0.16	6.41 ± 0.08	0.86	2.48 ± 0.12	1.61 ± 0.14
	24	Ti6Al4V	57.27 ± 0.12	53.18 ± 0.13	6.82 ± 0.15	0.88	2.834 ± 0.23	1.41 ± 0.16
	24	Ti5Al3V6Cu	59.61 ± 0.15	25.6 ± 0.12	7.08 ± 0.14	0.87	2.12 ± 0.16	1.88 ± 0.12
0.9% NaCl + H₂O₂	2	Ti6Al4V	97.31 ± 0.22	5.88 ± 0.14	3.21 ± 0.15	0.89	1.65 ± 0.07	2.04 ± 0.11
	2	Ti5Al3V6Cu	83.99 ± 0.81	2.03 ± 0.31	1.96 ± 0.08	0.89	1.52 ± 0.05	2.13 ± 0.13
	24	Ti6Al4V	68.09 ± 0.23	17.76 ± 0.53	1.76 ± 0.29	0.90	1.93 ± 0.13	2.64 ± 0.21
	24	Ti5Al3V6Cu	51.30 ± 0.15	12.3 ± 0.14	1.93 ± 0.14	0.87	1.87 ± 0.13	2.46 ± 0.14