Fretting corrosion of hafnium in simulated body fluids

Hafnium has been suggested as an interesting material for biomedical applications due to its good biocompatibility and osteogenesis. However, its behaviour under fretting corrosion conditions, found in applications such as dental and joint implants, has not been studied in depth. A three-electrode electrochemical cell integrated with a ball-on-flat reciprocating tribometer was used to investigate the corrosion of hafnium and commercially pure (CP) titanium in simulated body fluids. An increased susceptibility to pitting corrosion was observed when hafnium was subjected to fretting. Open circuit potential measurements showed a more severe mechanical depassivation due to fretting in the case of CP titanium in comparison to hafnium. In addition, the anodic currents measured during potentiostatic tests were also higher for CP titanium.