The present communication addresses an interesting problem related to the indeterminacy in hardness of superelastic NiTi reported by Xu et al. The origin of the indeterminacy is attributed to the inadequacy of the con...The present communication addresses an interesting problem related to the indeterminacy in hardness of superelastic NiTi reported by Xu et al. The origin of the indeterminacy is attributed to the inadequacy of the conventional Vickers hardness testing measurement which does not record elastic deformation, and thus the indeterminacy may be removed with suitable techniques. Concepts of hardness in relation to deformation are clarified. Recommendations for measuring the hardness of NiTi and other elastic-plastic materials are suggested, together with comments on the advantages and disadvantages of each of these methods.展开更多
NiTi samples were hydrothermally treated in NaOH at 200℃ with different soaking times. The morphology of the surface layer formed was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The composition of the layer and th...NiTi samples were hydrothermally treated in NaOH at 200℃ with different soaking times. The morphology of the surface layer formed was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The composition of the layer and the major phases present were determined by energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD), respectively. In contrast to the results reported by some authors, the surface layer was essentially Ni(OH)2 instead of being TiO2. The electrochemical behavior of the samples was studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in 3.5% NaCl solution at 23℃, and analyzed using a simplified Randle circuit consisting of a resistance R and a capacitance C in parallel. After hydrothermal treatment, R was increased by a factor ranging from 1.5 to 5.0 times, depending on the treatment time. The value of R of all the samples became steady within a period of less than 15 h. Results of the present study indicate that alkaline treatment leads to the growth of an insulating layer on NiTi, but the method is not suitable for surface modification of NiTi implants due to the enhanced Ni content in the surface layer.展开更多
文摘The present communication addresses an interesting problem related to the indeterminacy in hardness of superelastic NiTi reported by Xu et al. The origin of the indeterminacy is attributed to the inadequacy of the conventional Vickers hardness testing measurement which does not record elastic deformation, and thus the indeterminacy may be removed with suitable techniques. Concepts of hardness in relation to deformation are clarified. Recommendations for measuring the hardness of NiTi and other elastic-plastic materials are suggested, together with comments on the advantages and disadvantages of each of these methods.
文摘NiTi samples were hydrothermally treated in NaOH at 200℃ with different soaking times. The morphology of the surface layer formed was studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The composition of the layer and the major phases present were determined by energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) and X-ray diffractometry (XRD), respectively. In contrast to the results reported by some authors, the surface layer was essentially Ni(OH)2 instead of being TiO2. The electrochemical behavior of the samples was studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) in 3.5% NaCl solution at 23℃, and analyzed using a simplified Randle circuit consisting of a resistance R and a capacitance C in parallel. After hydrothermal treatment, R was increased by a factor ranging from 1.5 to 5.0 times, depending on the treatment time. The value of R of all the samples became steady within a period of less than 15 h. Results of the present study indicate that alkaline treatment leads to the growth of an insulating layer on NiTi, but the method is not suitable for surface modification of NiTi implants due to the enhanced Ni content in the surface layer.