Evaluation of Heat-Treated AISI 316 Stainless Steel in Solar Furnaces to Be Used as Possible Implant Material

Abstract

The appropriate selection of implant materials is very important for the long-term success of the implants. A modified composition of AISI 316 stainless steel was treated using solar energy in a vertical axis solar furnace and it was subjected to a hyper-hardening treatment at a 1050 °C austenitizing temperature with a rapid cooling in cold water followed by three variants of tempering (150, 250, and 350 °C). After the heat treatment, the samples were analyzed in terms of hardness, microstructure (performed by scanning electron microscopy), and corrosion resistance. The electrochemical measurements were performed by potentiodynamic and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy in liquids that simulate biological fluids (NaCl 0.9% and Ringer’s solution). Different corrosion behaviors according to the heat treatment type have been observed and a passivation layer has formed on some of the heat-treated samples. The samples, heat-treated by immersion quenching, exhibit a significantly improved pitting corrosion resistance. The subsequent heat treatments, like tempering at 350 °C after quenching, also promote low corrosion rates. The heat treatments performed using solar energy applied on stainless steel can lead to good corrosion behavior and can be recommended as unconventional thermal processing of biocompatible materials.

Swertia chirata extract mediated synthesis of iron oxide nanoparticles and its use as corrosion inhibitor for stainless steel 316 L in Ringer’s solution

“…The R ct value increased with increases in the iron oxide NPs concentration, thus proving the formation of corrosion inhibitory NPs layer. The Bode plot shown in figure 6(d) supports the idea of iron oxide NPs adsorption on the SS-316 L surface [41]. This process ultimately contributed to the efficient anti-corrosive property of iron oxide NPs.…”

Assessment of Solar Energy Potential Limits within Solids on Heating-Melting Interval

“…These objectives consist in developing some mathematical formalism, which allows a better capitalization of the advantages given by the evolution of melting/burning/ purifying within solar furnaces [14,16].…”

“…As a result of these electrothermal installations advantages, installations that rely on solar energy sources can be used in different industrial processes [7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17] such as:…”

Advantages and Limitations Regarding the Processing of Materials in Concentrated Energy Solar Furnaces

“…The construction and commissioning of high and medium power concentrated solar ovens since 1950, but especially after 1970, (when the large 1MW solar furnace was put into use in Odeillo, France) opened new directions for research on the processing possibilities of materials with high energy flows and very high temperatures [1,[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16].…”

“…For example, resistance to corrosion, wear, refractoriness, structural and dimensional stability to temperature variations, properties necessary for products working under special conditions, in the chemical industry, in biomedicine, in aeronautics, in the atomic and nuclear industry, etc. [8,15,16].…”