Experimental Investigation on the Bio- tribocorrosive behavior of Ti6Al4V alloy and 316L stainless steel in two biological solutions

In this manuscript the tribocorrosive behavior of two common biomaterials adopted in dentistry such as Titanium Grade V and Steel 316 L was investigated by a tribometer equipped with a three electrodes potentiostat and a confocal interferometric apparatus for a deep worn surface analysis. The experiments underlined that the pH and higher concentration of NaCl induced greater material loss, especially in terms of mechanical-chemical combined action which, estimated by synergistic approach, had a significant impact on the total wear. In addition, Titanium Grade V alloy showed a superior tribocorrosive wear resistance respect to Steel 316 L because of its higher hardness. Lastly, a linear correlation between tribocorrosive current and synergistic factor was found which could be adopted in future analytical wear models.