In Vitro Corrosion of Porous Alloys

Abstract

Porous metallic surfaces are currently being applied to both orthopedic and dental implant devices. The increased surface areas provided by these systems have caused many in the health sciences to be concerned over an accelerated release of corrosion products into the adjacent and systemic tissues. The objective of this study was to evaluate the corrosion characteristics of six available porous alloy systems by utilizing electrochemical corrosion analyses. The surface area provided by the selected porous structures increased 1.2 to 7.2 times over that of the solid forms of the alloys. The corrosion rate for the porous alloys was in a range of 1.2 to 5.2 times greater than that for the solid alloys. In general, the increase in corrosion rate at the corrosion potential was not of the same magnitude as the increase in surface area. At potentials greater than the corrosion potential, the corrosion rates for the porous alloys were normally greater than the rates experienced by the solid alloys. In conclusion, the porous alloy systems investigated demonstrated increased corrosion magnitudes. Since the long-term effects of the released metallic constituents have not been evaluated at this time, surface treatments aimed at reducing the corrosion rates should continue to be evaluated.

A study on porous super austenitic stainless steel coating for improvement of bone ingrowth

“…However, in spite of the merits of porous coatings, there were problems when cases of implanted. When the porous coated implants were used for the long term, there were metal ion releases [2,3], deterioration of the mechanical properties of the coatings, and decreases in the corrosion-resistance of the coating as well as the substrate [4,5]. Therefore, the selection of proper materials for coatings and the development of porous coating techniques are required.…”