pH shifts and precipitation associated with metal ions in tissue culture

Mechanical load-assisted dissolution of metallic implant surfaces: influence of contact loads and surface stress state

Mechanical load-assisted dissolution is identified as one of the key mechanisms governing material removal in fretting and crevice corrosion of biomedical implants. In the current study, material removal on a stressed surface of cobalt-chromium-molybdenum (CoCrMo) subjected to single asperity contact is investigated in order to identify the influence of contact loads and in-plane stress state on surface damage mechanisms. The tip of an atomic force microscope is used as a well-characterized "asperity" to apply controlled contact forces and mechanically stimulate the loaded specimen surface in different aqueous environments from passivating to corroding. The volume of the material removed is measured to determine the influence of contact loads, in-plane stresses and the environment on the material dissolution rate. Experimental results indicate that surface damage is initiated at all the contact loads studied and as expected in a wear situation, removal rate increases with increase in contact loads. Removal rates display a complex dependence on residual stresses and the environment. In a passivating environment, the material removal rate is linearly dependent on the stress state such that surface damage is accelerated under compressive stresses and suppressed under tensile stresses. In a corrosive environment, the dissolution rate demonstrates a quadratic dependence on stress, with both compressive and tensile stresses accelerating material dissolution. A surface damage mechanism based on stress-assisted dissolution is proposed to elucidate the experimental observations.

Differences in the fretting corrosion of metal-metal and ceramic-metal modular junctions of total hip replacements

The use of modular interlocking components is a central design feature of total joint replacements. In this investigation we hypothesized that clinically available ceramic-metal modular connections used in total hip arthroplasty release more metal through fretting corrosion than traditional metal-metal modular connections. This was investigated using an in vitro comparison of ceramic (zirconia, ZrO2) and metal (Co-alloy) femoral-head fretting upon Co-alloy stem components. In vitro fretting corrosion testing consisted of potentiodynamic monitoring and analysis of metal release from zirconia and Co-alloy 28 mm femoral heads with similar surface roughnesses (Ra=0.46 microm) on identical Co-alloy stems at 2.2 kN for 1x10(6) cycles at 2 Hz. In contrast to our original hypothesis, we found greater metal release (approximately 11-fold increase in Co and 3-fold increase in Cr) and potentiodynamic fretting of metal-metal modular junctions when compared to ceramic-metal. Potentiodynamic testing demonstrated that lower initial voltages (-266<153 mV), greater maximum voltage changes (116>56 mV, p<0.05, t-test) and voltage variability (3>0.5 mV, p<0.05, t-test) were associated with the open circuit potentials of Co-alloy on Co-alloy junctions when compared to zirconia on Co-alloy junctions. In this study of a single total hip replacement stem and head design, zirconia heads mated with Co-alloy stems produced less fretting than Co-alloy heads mated with Co-alloy stems. Although further studies are necessary with a variety of implant designs and under different experimental conditions, the evidence presented here should, in part, alleviate concerns of increases in fretting corrosion at modular junctions of ceramic-metal coupled components.