CHARACTERIZATION OF TITANIUM-ALLOY IMPLANT SURFACES WITH IMPROVED DISSOLUTION RESISTANCE

The present work sets out to investigate the structure and chemistry o f surface treated oxides (either aged in boiling water or air-heated) with improved dissolution resistance compared to conventionally passiv ated surfaces. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) has demonstrated a significant reduction in oxidized aluminium associated with an agei ng-based surface treatment. Angle-dependent XPS has revealed an increa se in amphoteric-OH surface sites for the thermal treatments. Atomic f orce microscopy (AFM) investigation suggests that these sites play a r ole in the improved protein adsorption properties of these surfaces. T hese observations form the basis of a model which describes the influe nce of surface oxide on the kinetics of metal ion dissolution.