Corrosion behaviour and biocompatibility evaluation of low modulus Ti-16Nb shape memory alloy as potential biomaterial

With CP Ti sample as control, the electrochemical measurements were used to investigate the corrosion resistance of low modulus Ti16Nb shape memory alloy in Hank's solution with pH value 7.4. The OCP curves show that the passive film on the Ti16Nb alloy surface is quite stable. The tafel plots and anodic polarization curves prove that the Ti16Nb alloy has excellent anti-corrosion properties in Hank's solution, which is even better than that of CP Ti. The XPS analysis reveals that the composition of the oxide film on Ti16Nb alloy is mainly TiO2 and Nb2O5. The indirect cytotoxicity results prove that Ti16Nb alloy has an excellent biocompatibility as CP Ti with high proliferation rate approaching that of the negative control group. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.