The Influence of Surface Nanocrystallization of TA2 Titanium Alloy on Its Corrosion Resistance

Abstract

In this study, the surface nano treatment of TA2 titanium alloy was realized by means of surface mechanical wear treatment. The microstructure and electrochemical properties of the nanocrystalline layer were investigated by SEM, TEM, Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy, and Potentiodynamic Polarization, while the nucleation mechanism of the passivation film was discussed. The results indicate that the original coarse grains on the sample’s surface are transformed into randomly oriented nanocrystals by surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT). The corrosion current density of the surface nanocrystallized TA2 titanium alloy (9.2 nA·cm−2) experienced a reduction of two orders of magnitude compared to untreated TA2 titanium alloy (134.5 nA·cm−2) in 3.5 wt.% NaCl solution. The SMAT methods accelerates nucleation mechanism transitioning to continuous nucleation.