The nearly equiatomic nickel titanium alloys have been widely used in the biomedical device industry because of their unique shape memory, superelasticity, fatigue resistance properties and a stress-strain behavior similar to that of living tissues. Despite of all these advantages, a wider application of these alloys in the biomedical field has been hindered for a long time, owing to the lack of a definite conclusions about its corrosion properties and nickel release.
A new class of TiNi foams, produced via Self-Propagating High-Temperature Synthesis (SHS) method, has found a growing interest in orthopedic devices design.
The present study was undertaken to examine the corrosion resistance and the ion release of TiNi foams, for using them in orthopedic device design. Morphology studies were conducted by picnometer measurements and SEM observations; Corrosion stability was evaluated by electrochemical potentiodynamic and potentiostatic tests. The foams were analyzed as received and treated in nitric acid to improve the surface passivation. Results show that TiNi foams could be promising biomaterials for orthopedic applications.