A modified oxygen boost diffusion treatment for Ti alloys and associated tribological properties with respect to biological environment

A recently proposed 2-step thermal oxidation treatment (called oxygen boost diffusion – OBD) has been modified and tested on two Ti base materials for use in biological environment. Both initial and modified treatments are shown to be efficient on these materials to simultaneously increase strength and wear resistance (tested in a pseudo-biological solution). The observed improvements are shown to be due to the diffusion of oxygen through a thick layer which simultaneously hardens the material and improves the subsequent adhesion of a superficial oxide layer.