Electrochemical Characterization of an Optical Fiber Laser- Treated Biomaterial

Abstract

The implant manufacturing process includes texturization to enhance its adhesion and marking the final products for their identification, long-term quality control and traceability. Marking is carried out after cleaning and prior to sterilization. These marks eventually can concentrate stress leading to premature failure. The marked areas are defective regions that affect the passive film formed on the metallic biomaterials used for implants favoring the onset of various corrosion types, such as pitting, crevice or fatigue. This study aims to evaluate the effect of a Yb optical fiber laser marking processes used for metallic implants on the localized corrosion resistance of the austenitic stainless steel ISO 5832-1. This is one of the most used materials for manufacturing implants. The electrochemical behavior of the marked areas obtained by this method was evaluated in a phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) solution with pH of 7.4 and the results were compared with unmarked samples. All tested surfaces were prepared according to the recommendations for the use in surgery. For localized corrosion resistance evaluation, electrochemical tests such as monitoring the open circuit potential (OCP), electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and cyclic potentiodynamic polarization measurements were performed. The results showed that the laser marks affect the protector characteristics of the biomaterial's passive film. Lower pitting resistance was associated to the laser marked areas.