Inhibition mechanism of a diamond-like carbon (DLC) coating on the fretting crevice corrosion of stainless steel in artificial crevices

The synergistic damage caused by fretting wear and crevice corrosion at the artificial hip joint fixation interface, leading to excessive release of wear debris and metal ions , has long been a persistent challenge in biomedical engineering . In this study, DLC coatings were prepared and tested their protective performance against fretting crevice corrosion. Results indicate that when both frictional pairs are 316 L stainless steel (316LSS), fretting wear operates in the stick regime. Corrosion developed in the worn areas and induced extensive corrosion in the non-contact regions within the crevice. Compared to uncoated samples, the DLC-coated samples demonstrate significantly resistance to fretting crevice corrosion, along with reduced wear volume and an absence of typical crevice corrosion morphology. Mechanism analysis revealed that the DLC coating provides dual protective effects: (1) Modulating the wear regime to mitigate mechanical wear damage; (2) Transforming wear debris into carbonaceous films that establish a physicochemical barrier, thereby disrupting the synergistic degradation chain of wear-corrosion interaction. • Serious fretting crevice corrosion will occur on the uncoated 316Lss friction pair. • Fretting wear leads to graphitization of the DLC coating and tribofilm transfer. • DLC coating as a physicochemical barrier, inhibiting the fretting crevice corrosion.