Influence of Sandblasting Process on Tribological Properties of Titanium Grade 4 in Artificial Saliva for Dentistry Applications

Abstract

Titanium Grade 4 (Ti G4) is widely used in medicine for dental implants. The failure-free life of implants depends on their properties such as resistance to wear and friction processes. This paper presents an analysis of the influence of sandblasting on tribological wear of commercial dental implants made of TiG4 in artificial saliva. Tribological wear measurements were performed in a reciprocating motion in the ball-on-disc system. The scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM/EDS) method was used to characterize the surface of the implants before and after the tribological wear test. The microhardness of Ti G4 was measured before and after sandblasting by the Vickers method. The contact angle was determined by the method of sitting drop in air. The residual stress test using the X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) single-{hkl} sin2ψ method was carried out. The compressive residual stress of 324(7) MPa and surface hardening of Ti G4 was revealed after sandblasting with Al2O3 particles of 53–75 μm in diameter. It was found that sandblasting changes the surface wettability of Ti G4. The intermediate wettability of the mechanically polished surface and the hydrophobicity of the sandblasted surface was revealed. Sandblasting reduces the tribological wear and friction coefficient of Ti G4 surface in saliva. The three-body abrasion wear mechanism was proposed to explain the tribological wear of Ti G4 in saliva.

Production and Characterization of the Third-Generation Oxide Nanotubes on Ti-13Zr-13Nb Alloy

“…The obtained results indicate the micro-rough surface for which the most suitable Ra is 1 to 3 μm [ 6 , 9 ]. This means that the SWNTs layers produced on the Ti-13Zr-13Nb alloy during the anodizing voltages of 25, 30, and 35 V for 120 min have the optimal Ra.…”

“…The lowest Ra of 0.10 µm for the substrate before oxidation proved its smooth surface. The Ra of 1.07–2.73 was determined for the porous SWNTs surface obtained at 25–35 V, indicating the micro-rough surface for which the Ra belonged to the most suitable Ra for biomedical applications from 1 to 3 μm [ 6 , 9 ].…”

“…The long-term implant market mainly includes the commercially pure titanium (Cp Ti) and Ti-6Al-4V two-phase (α + β) alloy [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 ]. However, the use of toxic alloying additives such as Al and V has been shown to pose a health risk to patients due to their harmful properties, including the induction of allergies, inflammation, Alzheimer’s disease, neuropathy, and more [ 4 , 10 ].…”

Influence of Anodizing Conditions on Biotribological and Micromechanical Properties of Ti–13Zr–13Nb Alloy

“…Thus, the protection against the corrosive environment is lost [ 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 ]. Biotribology deals with the search for minimizing the effects of friction, which would involve reducing the wear of the surfaces involved in the friction of the elements and reducing the energy accompanying the process [ 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 ].…”

“…For long-term implants, the service life of which should not exceed 15 years, cobalt alloys are applied [ 4 ]. Titanium and titanium alloys are most often used due to their best biocompatibility, and their service life may exceed 20 years [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 19 , 21 ]. The market of long-term implants is dominated by a commercially pure titanium alloy (Cp Ti) and a bi-phase (α + β) Ti–6Al–4V alloy known also as Grade 5 Titanium or Ti 6–4, which has excellent strength, a low modulus of elasticity, high corrosion resistance, good weldability, and is heat treatable [ 19 , 23 ].…”