Surface modification of a Ti–Al–Zr alloy by niobium ion implantation

Surface modification of a Ti–Al–Zr alloy with niobium ion implantation is considered as a method to improve its tribological properties, particularly wear resistance and hardness. The ion implantation was carried out at fluences of 8 × 1016 and 4 × 1017 ions/cm2 with energy 108 keV. The tribological tests for the friction coefficients and wear rate were performed using a pin-on-disk tribotester with the load 60 mN. Glancing angle X-ray diffraction (GAXRD) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses were used to characterize the surface modification of the implanted samples. A significant improvement in the hardness and decrease in the friction coefficient have been found with increasing implantation fluences. In addition, the wear rates of the implanted samples exhibited a great reduction as compared with unimplanted samples. The effects of surface modification upon niobium ion implantation on the tribological properties of Ti–Al–Zr alloys were discussed in detail.