Original Articles: 2012 Vol: 4 Issue: 1
Potentiodynamic polarization study of Type 316L and 316LVM stainless steels for surgical implants in simulated body fluids
Abstract
Corrosion of metal implants is critical because it can adversely affect the biocompatibility and mechanical integrity. The aim of this research is to compare the electrochemical corrosion behaviour of two biomedical alloys, 316L and 316LVM stainless steels in simulated body fluid (SBF) at 37°C. This temperature is equivalent to human body temperature. The SBFs used in this study were Hank’s solution and Ringer’s solution. This comparison is focused on passive behavior of the alloys using electrochemical potentiodynamic polarization study. Analysis of electrochemical parameters indicated that 316L stainless steel was more susceptible to pitting corrosion than 316LVM in SBF. It can be seen that corrosion potential (Ecorr) for 316LVM is nobler(more positive) indicating that type 316LVM stainless steel is more corrosion resistant than type 316L stainless steel in SBF. The high corrosion susceptibility of type 316L was due to surface passive film with less protective to reveal high anodic dissolution rate.