Ex situ scanning tunneling microscopy investigations of the modification of titanium surface due to corrosion processes

Scanning tunneling microscopy was implemented for the comparative surface investigation of mechanically polished and electrochemically treated titanium samples. The titanium exposed to the phosphate buffered saline solution reveal the increased topography roughness (5–15 nm) of oxide thin layer on its surface. The introduction of H2O2 into the solution leads to the enhanced dissolution of the titanium oxide film resulting in a more defective surface. The I(V) dependencies obtained from spectroscopic measurements are indicative of the semiconducting properties of the thin oxide layer.