Biotribocorrosion—an appraisal of the time dependence of wear and corrosion interactions: II. Surface analysis

Metal-on-metal joint replacements have been considered an effective alternative to metal-on-polyethylene bearings. Various electrochemical and spectroscopic techniques have been used in studying the corrosion behaviour and surface compositions of these implant materials. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is one of the most popular methods of obtaining details regarding the near surface layers of metallic components. This paper is focused on the metal–protein interaction and the change of candidate material (HC CoCrMo, LC CoCrMo and UNS S31603) surfaces under tribological contact in simulated biological fluids. The relationship between wettability and corrosion (specifically tribocorrosion) in a protein-rich environment is also discussed. As a general conclusion, a metal–protein complex was found on the surfaces which grew and developed with the metal oxides (Cr2O3/CoO etc) as sliding progressed. It is believed that wettability, which is affected by the nature of the protein adsorption at the metal interface, can influence material corrosion and tribocorrosion behaviour.