Influence of pH on the Tribological Properties of DLC-Coated Ti-6Al-4V Titanium Alloy

The experiments included morphological observations, elemental analysis and tribological tests performed for specimens exposed to artificial saliva with neutral (7.2) and acidic (2.7) pH. The nanohardness was also determined. The results obtained for the uncoated polished material were compared with those reported for the material coated with an a-C:H film deposited using the plasma- assisted chemical vapor deposition (PACVD) process. The experimental data indicate that the tribocorrosion properties of the titanium alloy are much higher when the material is coated with a DLC film. Observations were conducted under healthy and inflammatory conditions.