Effects of additively manufactured surface texturing and anodic oxidation on tribological performance of biomedical Ti6Al4V alloy.

Abstract

Titanium alloys, particularly Ti6Al4V, are widely used in load bearing biomedical implants but suffer from poor tribological properties. This study investigates a surface engineering approach combining elliptical geometric surface texturing by selective laser melting (SLM) and anodic oxidation to enhance the wear resistance of Ti6Al4V. Untextured and elliptically textured specimens were fabricated via Laser Powder Bed Fusion and subsequently anodized at 200 V. XRD, SEM, microhardness and reciprocating tribology under dry and simulated body fluid (SBF) conditions were employed for characterization. Friction coefficients, wear rates and hardness values were statistically evaluated using two-way ANOVA. Anodization produced a mixed phase (anatase and rutile) TiO₂ layer, increasing surface hardness by over 20%. The combined surface treatment resulted in a synergistic effect, significantly outperforming individually applied texturing or anodization via boundary and/or tribo-film effects and debris trapping by textures. These findings present a promising strategy for developing long lasting, wear resistant titanium alloy implants.