Effect of Addition of Rare Earth Metal (Ce) on the Microstructure, Mechanical Properties and Corrosion Behavior of NiTi Alloys

Nickel–titanium shape memory alloys mostly change their shape with change in temperature, pressure and magnetic field. In the present research NiTi alloy with 0.5 wt % Ce, 1 wt % Ce and 1.5 wt % Ce addition were produced through powder metallurgy. The developed NiTi–Ce alloys were sintered and annealed under argon environment. SEM/EDX analysis was used to study the microstructure and chemical composition of the developed alloys. Phases produced during sintering and annealing of the NiTi–Ce alloys were investigated by XRD analysis. Rockwell hardness test machine was used to study the hardness of the NiTi–Ce alloys after sintering and annealing processes. Gamry Potentiostat with silver-silver chloride reference electrode was used to study the corrosion behavior of the NiTi–Ce alloys in ringer lactate solution. The results showed that the precipitates of CeNi3 developed with the addition of Ce in NiTi alloys, increased the hardness as well as corrosion resistance of the NiTi–Ce alloys.