Influence of fluoride content and pH on corrosion and tribocorrosion behaviour of Ti13Nb13Zr alloy in oral environment

CpTi and Ti6Al4V alloy are the most widely used materials for implant application, but the release of toxic elements (e.g. Al and V) and the so-called stress-shielding effect are still a concern. In recent years, β and near-β titanium alloys have been developed, which overcome these issues with reduced modulus of elasticity and biocompatible alloying elements. However, literature is scarce studying the tribocorrosion behaviour of these alloys for dental implantology. The present work studies the tribocorrosion behaviour of the near-β Ti13Nb13Zr alloy in oral environment, using CpTi4 for comparison purposes. To that end, the influence of the pH and fluoride concentration in artificial saliva was analysed. Reciprocating sliding corrosion tests were carried out under open circuit potential and potentiostatic conditions. Results reveal a negative influence of the increase of fluoride concentration and the acidified artificial saliva on the material degradation. Moreover, some light has been shed on the different tribocorrosion mechanisms of Ti13Nb13Zr and CpTi4 in simulated oral environment.