PIII treatment of Ti alloys and NiTi for medical applications

PIII is a powerful method to obtain hard and wear resistant surface on Ti alloys and NiTi by oxygen or nitrogen implantation. By adjusting the temperature, treatment time and heating regime, different phase compositions and layer thickness can be obtained. Depending on the specific system, a strong influence of the resulting microstructure on the wear and fatigue properties was observed. By considering these restrictions, successful animal tests can be designed and executed, as shown in this review article.