Evolution of the passive film on mechanically damaged nitinol

The corrosion behavior of Nitinol-based medical implants is critical to their success in vivo. Contemporary Nitinol-based medical implants are typically chemically passivated or electrochemically polished to form a protective passive film. However, mechanically formed surfaces caused by handling damage, fretting, or fatigue fracture may also be present on a device in vivo. In this study, mechanically polished surfaces are used to simulate mechanically damaged surfaces such that analytical techniques, including electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, open circuit potential monitoring, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and Mott-Schottky analysis may be used to monitor the evolution of the passive film on mechanically damaged Nitinol. These mechanically polished Nitinol surfaces are compared with chemically passivated and electrochemically polished Nitinol surfaces and mechanically polished titanium surfaces in phosphate buffered saline solution. The mechanically polished Nitinol exhibits lower impedance at low frequencies, empirically modeled to a thinner film with lower film resistance than chemically passivated and electrochemically polished Nitinol and mechanically polished titanium. Moreover, the passive film on mechanically polished Nitinol continues to develop over time, increasing in its thickness and film resistance. This characterization demonstrates that mechanically formed surfaces may be initially less protective than chemically passivated and electrochemically polished Nitinol surfaces, but continue to become thicker and more resistant to electrochemical reactions with exposure to saline solution.