Laser Surface Structuring of Titanium Alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) for Improved Tribocorrosion Resistance for Bio-implant Applications

In this study, laser surface structuring (LSS) of titanium alloy (Ti-6Al-4V) using pulsed Nd: YLF laser with 100ns pulse duration at various laser powers, scan speeds, and line-spacings has been undertaken for improving the tribocorrosion property. Due to LSS, there is an increment in nano hardness (4.9GPa - 6.3GPa) and Young's modulus (140GPa -153 GPa) when compared to untreated Ti-6Al-4V (3.9GPa, 123GPa). The tribocorrosion behavior in simulated body fluid against the ZrO2 ball in fretting mode shows that due to LSS, the degradation rate was significantly reduced (5.3–67.2%) when compared to the untreated one. With an increase in load, the coefficient of friction and material removal rate increases. The mechanism of tribocorrosion is established.