Anticorrosion Performance of the Electrochemically Grown Mixed Porous Oxide Films on Titanium Alloy in Biological Solution

A thin porous mixed layer of TiO2–ZrO2 was grown on titanium–zirconium alloy surface by electrochemical oxidation. Further comparison of the corrosion behavior in Fusayama–Meyer biological solution was performed. Scanning electron microscopy surface morphology investigations confirm the presence of porous oxide film, while energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analyses provide a high amount of oxygen element in the porous film and a higher amount of Zr element, concluding the mixed nature of oxide film formed, TiO2–ZrO2. For corrosion investigations, electrochemical techniques such as open-circuit potential, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, and potentiodynamic polarization were applied. The corrosion investigations reveal better behavior of the thin porous mixed oxide layer on titanium alloy compared to the untreated alloy having on their surface the native oxide formed in contact with the air, confirming the possibility to improve the properties of such implant application in saliva solution.