Titanium and its alloys have been widely used as implant materials due to their excellent mechanical property and biocompatibility. In the present study, the effect of glucose concentration on corrosion behavior of pure titanium TA2 in Hanks' simulated body fluid is investigated by the electrochemical impedance spectrum (EIS) and potentiodynamic polarization methods. The range of glucose concentrations investigated in this research includes 5 mmol/L (limosis for healthy people), 7 mmol/L (after diet for healthy people), 10 mmol/L (limosis for hyperglycemia patient), and 12 mmol/L (after diet for hyperglycemia patient), as well as, 15 mmol/L and 20 mmol/L, which represent different body fluid environments. The results indicate that the pure titanium TA2 demonstrates the best corrosion resistance when the glucose concentration is less than 10 mmol/L, which shows that the pure titanium TA2 as implant material can play an effective role in the body fluids with normal and slight high glucose concentrations. Comparatively, the corrosion for the pure titanium implant is more probable when the glucose concentration is over 10 mmol/L due to the premature penetration through passive film on the material surface. Corrosion defects of pitting and crevice exist on the corroded surface, and the depth of corrosion is limited to three microns with a low corrosion rate. The oxidation film on the surface of pure titanium TA2 has a protective effect on the corrosion behavior of the implant inner material. The corrosion behavior of pure titanium TA2 will happen easily once the passive film has been penetrated through. The corrosion rate for TA2 implant will accelerate quickly and a pure titanium implant cannot be used.
Keywords: corrosion; glucose concentration; implant; pure titanium; simulated body fluid.