[Study of the corrosion of metallic biomaterials by surface physical methods]

The authors investigated the corrosion mechanism of metallic implants inserted into the human body in contact with bone. It was shown that a significant degree of corrosion occurred after several months. The dissolution seems to be non-selective but can be different for each individual. The corrosion mechanism is complex, starting with an inter-granular process, but pitting also occurred . The oxidation of Fe2+ to Fe3+ favours the elimination of iron oxides and is followed by the destruction of the local alloy structure. An estimation of the quantity of each type of element released in the organism was also realized.