Síntese e caracterização de filmes finos de TiNb sobre o aço AISI 316L para aplicações biomédicas

Abstract

Titanium and its alloys have been widely used in biomedical devices and components. The commercially pure titanium and Ti-6Al-4V (Ti64) are the biomaterials most widely used for implants, due to its characteristics regarding corrosion resistance, biocompatibility and commercial production. However, in the case of the Ti64 alloy, aluminum and vanadium present problems associated with cytotoxic effects in tissues and adverse reactions such as Alzheimer's disease and other neuropathies. The β type Ti alloys used in orthopedic devices have excellent properties such as low density, high mechanical strength and outstanding corrosion resistance, besides being biocompatible. The β phase in Ti alloys is obtained by adding alloy elements such as Nb, Ta, Zr and Mo. The coatings in form of thin films made by magnetron sputtering - MS have been successfully employed for the surface treatment of metallic biomaterials for ‘applications in the medical industry, with the advantage that low dimensionality coating does not alter the structural properties of the prosthesis to be implanted, thereby allowing improvement of their surface properties and therefore the use in the human body. A new class of Ti alloys employs niobium as a stabilizer of the β phase. The Ti-Nb binary alloys are promising candidates for biomedical applications. Therefore, an interesting option to adjust the surface feature is the thin film technology. Thus, in this dissertation, nanostructured thin films were produced by sputtering on the surface of stainless steel AISI 316L, with the purpose of analyzing the influence of niobium content on the behavior of the films. The produced films were mechanically, morphologically, crystallographically, chemically and electrochemically characterized, presenting the Ti-β phase for all the concentrations along with good mechanical properties and corrosion resistance for its potential use in the manufacture of medical implantation devices.