Abstract
Nickel-titanium (NiTi) alloys are metallic materials mostly used in the implant industry due to their excellent elasticity and shape memory phenomena. They have excellent corrosion resistance, surface stability, and good biocompatibility. However, due to the leakage of nickel ions, allergic reactions and toxicity can occur. In this research report, we used a cathodic cage plasma processing technique to deposit a titanium nitride-based coating on NiTi non-ferrous metallic material for five different time durations (1 h to 5 h). The effect of treatment time on microstructure, chemical composition, surface topography and morphology was investigated by X-ray diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy analysis, respectively. The influence of plasma processing time on tribological behavior was analyzed by indentation depth, wettability, wear and corrosion analysis. Further, biocompatibility of plasma treated and untreated specimens were assessed by nickel ion leakage, cytotoxicity and cell proliferation. Results analysis revealed that the TiN coating with four hour (4 h) plasma treatment showed novel biocompatible and tribological nature among the other treated specimens. This investigation will make a significant contribution to the development of biocompatibility for use in biomedical applications.