A Review on Surface Coatings on 316L Stainless Steel to Improve Biomedical Properties

Stainless steel 316L has widely used as bioimplants in cranial plates, dental implants, bone fracture fixation, prothestic joints. However, low wear resistance, in some cases susceptibility to pitting and crevice corrosion in body environment and release of toxic ions from the surface are the basic disadvantages which this material prone to be. It has still applied as a temporary biomaterial due to its excellent mechanical strength, acceptable corrosion resistance, good formability and cost-effectiveness. Surface engineering aims to improve surface-dominated properties, like resistance to corrosion, ion release or wear, without compromising the mechanical properties of the bulk. In this paper, some of methods for the surface coatings of the stainless steel as a biomaterial are reviewed.