Corrosion behavior of the implant material Ti-6Al-4V ELI immersed in Kokubo's SBF solution for orthodontic application.

Titanium and its alloys are preferred for dental implants because they have much better corrosion resistance and mechanical properties than stainless steel. However, its corrosion resistance, which goes down in acidic environments (acidic pH), requires a breakthrough. Indonesian people like to consume foods and drinks that contain a lot of acidic substances (with low pH), such as Pempek, fried foods, chili sauce, soft drinks and carbonated drinks. This is the background of research to determine the corrosion behavior and corrosion rate of titanium and its alloys in an acidic environment. The results expectedly would help dentists select materials with higher corrosion resistance for orthodontic applications. We selected Ti-6Al-4V Extra Low Interstitial (ELI) as the object of this research. The specimens were immersed in Kokubo's Simulated Body Fluid (SBF) solution, a solution modified to resemble human saliva (pH 5.0) in four variations of time (t): 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, and 4 weeks. The corrosion rate was calculated by the weight loss method. To improve corrosion resistance in this strong acid environment, the specimens were coated with commercial nano-sized hydroxyapatite (HA). To examine the microstructure of corrosion, an optical microscope and a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) were used. The results showed that HA coating on Ti-6Al-4V ELI could reduce the corrosion rate. In the fourth week, the corrosion rate of Ti-6Al-4V ELI without HA coating was 0.07575 mm/year. Meanwhile, at the same immersion duration, the corrosion rate of Ti-6Al-4V ELI coated with HA was 0.00841 mm/year. HA can protect the TiO2 passive layer on the Ti-6Al-4V ELI so that the implant material is not easily eroded when installed in the body. Implant materials that are more corrosion resistant are good for implants for their good osseointegration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]