INVESTIGADORES
CERE silvia
artículos
Título:
Electrochemical characterization of AISI 316L stainless steel in contact with simulated body fluid at different pH conditions.
Autor/es:
D.A. LÓPEZ,; A. DURÁN,; S. M. CERÉ
Revista:
JOURNAL OF MATERIALS SCIENCE-MATERIALS IN MEDICINE
Editorial:
Springer
Referencias:
Año: 2008 vol. 19 p. 2137 - 2144
ISSN:
0957-4530
Resumen:
Titanium and cobalt alloys, as well as some stainless steels, are among the most frequently used materials in orthopaedic surgery. In developed countries, stainless steel devices are used only for temporary implants due to its lower corrosion resistance in physiologic media compared to the other alloys. However, mainly due to economical reasons, the use of stainless steel alloys for permanent implants in developing countries is very common.  The implantation of foreign bodies is necessary in modern medical practice, however, the complex interactions between the host and the implant weaken the local defence increasing the risk of infections. Therefore, it is necessary to increase the knowledge about these materials as well as the characteristics of the superficial film formed in physiologic media in infection conditions in order to be able to control their potential toxicity due to the release of metallic ions in the human body. This work presents a study of the superficial composition and the corrosion resistance of AISI 316L stainless steel and the influence of its main alloying elements when they are exposed to an acidic solution that simulates the change of pH that occurs in an infection condition. Aerated simulated body fluid (SBF) was employed as working solution at 37 ºC. The pH was adjusted to 7.25 and 4 in order to reproduce normal body and disease state respectively. Corrosion resistance was measured by means of Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy (EIS) and anodic polarization curves.