Corrosion and Hardness Behaviour of AISI 316L SS Implanted with Argon and Oxygen Ions Korózne a pevnostné vlastnosti AISI 316L SS pri implantácii iónmi argónu a kyslíka

Ion implantation creates alterations in surface properties of solids such as corrosion and hardness. The AISI316L stainless steel is being widely used both in artificial knee and hip joints in bio-medical applications. In the present study, the AISI316L SS was implanted with two different ions namely argon and oxygen separately at 100 KeV with a dose of 1x10ions/cm2 at the temperature of 32°C. The crystallographic orientation and surface morphology were studied using X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). The effects of ion implantation on the corrosion performance of AISI316L stainless steel was evaluated in 0.9% NaCl solution using electro chemical test both on the virgin and implanted samples. The subsequent tafel analysis shows that the ion implanted specimens were more corrosion resistant when compared to the bare specimens. Hardness is a vital property for the biomaterial to withstand heavy loads. To improve wear and friction properties, generally, the hardness of the surface should be increased. Microhardness was also measured by Vickers method by applying varies loads. The results of the studies indicated that there was a significant improvement in both corrosion and hardness in the case of implanted samples.