This work aimed at the development of wear and corrosion resistant oxide coatings for medical implants made of zirconium alloy, by plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO). The effect of sodium silicate and boric acid addition to calcium acetate electrolyte on the coating properties was studied. Different aspects of the PEO coating were investigated: microstructure, electrochemical and wear behavior, wettability and apatite-forming ability. The resultant coatings consist of a dense inner layer 1.4-2.2 µm thick and a porous outer layer. The total thickness of the coating is 12-20 µm. It was found that the coating contains the tetragonal zirconia (70-95%). The obtained coatings show high corrosion resistance and reduce the surface corrosion current by 1-3 orders of magnitude, depending on the electrolyte additive, compared to the uncoated surface. The addition of boric acid to the electrolyte significantly increases the wear resistance of the coating and reduces the coefficient of friction. In terms of the combination of the coating characteristics, the electrolyte with the addition of the alkali and boric acid is recommended as the most effective.
Keywords: Zr-1%Nb alloy; boric acid; medical implants; plasma electrolytic oxidation.