Tribocorrosion behavior of veneering biomedical PEEK to Ti6Al4V structures

In dentistry, prosthetic structures must be able to support masticatory loads combined with a high biocompatibility and wear resistance in the presence of a corrosive environment. In order to improve the simultaneous wear and corrosion response of highly biocompatible prosthetic structures, a veneering poly-ether-ether-ketone (PEEK) to Ti6Al4V substrate was assessed by tribocorrosion analyses under conditions mimicking the oral environment. Samples were synthesized by hot pressing the PEEK veneer onto Ti6Al4V cylinders. The tribocorrosion tests on Ti6Al4V or PEEK/Ti6Al4V samples were performed on a reciprocating ball-on-plate tribometer at 30N normal load, 1Hz and stroke length of 3mm. The tests were carried out in artificial saliva at 37°C. Open circuit potential (OCP) was measured before, during and after reciprocating sliding tests. The worn surfaces were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The results revealed a lower wear rate on PEEK combined with a lower coefficient of friction (COF), when compared to Ti6Al4V. In fact, PEEK protected Ti6Al4V substrate against the corrosive environment and wear avoiding the release of metallic ions to the surrounding environment.