Electrochemical Behavior of Novel Superelastic Biomedical Alloys in Simulated Physiological Media Under Cyclic Load

The aim of the present work was to study corrosion and electrochemical behavior of Ti-22Nb-6Ta and Ti-22Nb-6Zr (at.%) superelastic alloys under conditions which imitate the performance mode of target devices (bone implants), i.e., under cyclic load in simulated physiological solutions. Open circuit potential (OCP) measurements were carried out on wire specimens in Hank’s solution and artificial saliva at 37 °C with various strain values up to 1.5%. It is shown that at clinically relevant strain values (about 0.2%) the alloys exhibit OCP growth indicating their high stability and resistance to corrosion fatigue under these cycling conditions. At much higher strains (about 1%), fatigue crack initiation and propagation take place, however, the corresponding OCP variation indicates that the fracture process is significantly restrained by reversible martensitic transformation during cycling.