The influence of the strengthening processes and chemical etching on the surface properties of Ti Grade 2 and Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloy for biomedical applications

Ti-13Nb-13Zr (TNZ) alloy, as well as commercially pure titanium, has great potential for biomedical applications. Their insufficient mechanical properties can be improved through large or severe plastic deformation processes, such as multiple-pass cold rolling. However, strengthening processes can influence further treatments, including surface modifications. Given the importance of tailoring biological properties, surface treatments are widely used in biomedicine. Therefore, the influence of strengthening processes on surface treatments should be extensively studied. In this work, Ti Grade 2 and Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloy were subjected to large plastic deformation via cold rolling, followed by further surface modifications: shot peening and etching in various solutions (HF, Kroll, NaOH). The initial states of the materials were characterized extensively using TEM and XRD. The topography and wettability of the samples subjected to surface treatments were investigated. This allows selecting the most efficient surface modifications (among the studied), which were shot peening and dual etching.