Evaluation of corrosion resistance of implant-use Ti-Zr binary alloys with a range of compositions.

Although titanium-zirconium (Ti-Zr) alloy has been adopted for clinical applications, the ideal proportion of Zr in the alloy has not been identified. In this study, we investigated the biocompatibility of Ti-Zr alloy by evaluating its corrosion resistance to better understand whether there is an optimal range or value of Zr proportion in the alloy. We prepared pure Ti, Ti-30Zr, Ti-50Zr, Ti-70Zr, and pure Zr (mol% of Zr) samples and subjected them to anodic polarization and immersion tests in a lactic acid + sodium chloride (NaCl) solution and artificial saliva. We observed pitting corrosion in the Ti-70Zr and Zr after exposure to both solutions. After the immersion test, we found that pure Ti exhibited the greatest degree of dissolution in the lactic acid + NaCl solution, with the addition of Zr dramatically reducing Ti ion dissolution, with the reduction ultimately exceeding 90% in the case of the Ti-30Zr. Hence, although the localized corrosion resistance under severe conditions was compromised when the Zr content was more than 70%, metal ion release reduced owing to Zr addition and the corresponding formation of a stable passive layer. The results suggest that Ti-30Zr or a Zr proportion of less than 50% would offer an ideal level of corrosion resistance for clinical applications.