Surface composition and texture of titanium polished with colloidal silica suspension and chromic oxide slurry

CP titanium was polished with a colloidal silica suspension and chromic oxide slurry under low and high pressures. The polished surfaces were characterized by means of EPMA and XPS. Irrespective of polishing pressure, colloidal silica suspension successfully created a mirror-like surface that was clean at EPMA level. However, XPS detected a small amount of silicon on the outermost surface. On the other hand, chromic oxide slurry under high pressure yielded a very uneven surface with numerous scratches. The EPMA and XPS results suggested the presence of chromium-containing species in the polished surface, which might include hydroxides as well as oxides. In addition, the level of oxygen concentration was noticeably raised, which probably resulted from the increase of surface oxide film thickness or the extension of oxide-to-metal transition zone.