Tribological and electrochemical properties of TiO2 films produced on Cp-Ti by sol-gel and SILAR in bio-simulated environment.

Abstract Commercially pure titanium (Cp-Ti) is commonly used in different applications due to its good structural properties but its low mechanical and tribological properties restrict its usage areas. Therefore, different surface modifications based on TiO 2 formation on material surfaces are applied to enhance surface features of materials. In this study, TiO 2 films were produced on Cp-Ti by sol-gel and successive ionic layer adsorption and reaction (SILAR) methods to compare the effectiveness of these methods. The structural, morphological and mechanical features of TiO 2 films were investigated by XRD, SEM and nano-indentation tester. The tribological features of coatings were characterized by using a pin-on-disk tribotester. The electrochemical behavior of TiO 2 coatings was determined by potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) analyses. The structural and mechanical analyses showed that sol-gel method caused the formation of more stable and hard film structures with good adhesion in comparison to SILAR method. For that reason, TiO 2 films produced by sol–gel process exhibited better wear and corrosion resistance than the films produced by SILAR. Highlights • TiO 2 films were deposited on Cp-Ti by the sol-gel and SILAR methods. • Corrosion and wear properties of TiO 2 films were investigated. • TiO 2 films by sol-gel showed better wear resistance due to their high hardness. • Corrosion resistance of Cp-Ti improved with TiO 2 films formed by two methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]