Effect of Grit-Blasting on Surface Properties of Titanium Grade 2 Studied by Positron Annihilation Spectroscopy and Electrochemical Methods

Abstract Grit blasting is an effective technique for controlling the surface roughness of titanium, particularly for dental implants and other applications where improved coating adhesion and bond strength are critical. Given the higher cost of ceramic blasting particles, this study suggests using steel blasting particles. It investigates the impact of grit blasting parameters on the surface and subsurface properties of grade 2 titanium. Positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy showed that grit blasting induces a high density of non-uniformly distributed dislocations and clusters of 2–3 vacancies in the surface layer with a depth of about 240–270 μ m. The average dislocation density decreases with the distance from the surface, and the total extent of the observed changes depends on the grit blasting parameters. The concentration of vacancy clusters exhibits a maximum value at a depth of about 90 μ m. To avoid rapid corrosion due to surface steel remnants, H 2 SO 4 etching of the grit-blasted surfaces was proposed. As-treated specimens revealed only a slightly higher corrosion rate in 0.15 M NaCl solution in comparison to the reference material. Grit blasting using steel particles can be an effective method for the surface treatment of biomedical titanium alloys, offering significant economic advantages over traditional ceramic blasting.