Electrochemical behavior of centrifuged cast and heat treated Ti–Cu alloys for medical applications

The aim of this study was to evaluate the general electrochemical corrosion resistance of Ti–5, 7.1 and 15 wt.% Cu alloys with a view to medical applications. A centrifuged casting set-up and a solution heat treatment at 900 °C for 2 h were used to prepare the samples. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and potentiodynamic anodic polarization techniques were used to analyze the corrosion resistance in a 0.15 M NaCl solution at 25 °C. An equivalent circuit analyses was also conducted. It was found that the corrosion rate increased with increasing Cu content. The results have shown that the addition of Cu has not stabilized the β phase. Martensite and Ti2Cu intermetallic particles provided by casting and heat treatment processes, respectively, have important roles on the resulting impedance parameters and passive current densities of the Ti–Cu alloys.