Surface composition and corrosion property of TiNi alloys coated with tantalum films

The multi-arc ion plating method was employed to coat TiNi alloys with Ta in order to improve radiopacity and corrosion resistance property. The surface composition, corrosion resistance property and Ni ions release amount of TiNi alloys coated with Ta films are investigated by means of X-ray photoelectron spectrometry (XPS), electrochemical measurements and atomic absorption spectrophotometry (AAS), respectively. The results show that the coated surface composition is composed of Ta and O and the corrosion resistance is improved, whereas the Ni ions release amount of the coated sample is lower than that of the uncoated samples in the whole immersion period, indicating that Ta coating can improve the biocompatibility of TiNi alloys.