Characterisation of the layer by nitriding of titanium at high temperature

Titanium and Ti6Al4V alloy are biocompatible materials. However, their lack of good wear resistance limits their use for some biomedical applications. Surface hardening by nitriding has been studied in order to improve wear r esistance of titanium. The results showed an increase of surface hardness, over 300% when compared to non-treated samples. X-ray diffraction data of t he surface of the treated samples showed the existence of titanium nitrides , mainly epsilon-nitrides (Ti2N), although delta-nitrides (TiN) were also d etected. Selected area diffraction pattern in transmission electron microsc ope (TEM) of near-surface regions detected the existence of epsilon-nitride s. TEM observations of regions at depths over 5 mu m did not registered any nitride. Therefore, the results suggest that the studied treatment could b e used to reduce wear in biomedical applications with light and medium load s.