Surface composition and structure of titanium polished with aqueous slurry of ferric oxide

Cast plates were prepared from commercial titanium. The plates were polished with a slurry of fine ferric oxide powder. The surface composition and structure were investigated by electron probe microanalysis (EPMA) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). In the high pressure-polished surface, iron was non-uniformly distributed but oxygen was mostly uniformly distributed, while in a light pressure-polished surface, iron and oxygen were uniformly distributed though at lower and higher concentrations, respectively. EPMA state analysis and XPS suggested that the iron might exist as Fe2+ in the outermost surface, while it might be in a metallic state in the inner surface layer.