Research Progress on Biotribocorrosion of Metal Material in Orthopedic Implants

The biotribocorrosion behaviors of orthopedic implants have an important effect on the service life of artificial prostheses. This study analyzed the experimental methods and types of biotribocorrosion as well as its main factors including lubrication, material, tribological and electrochemical factors. Based on the tribological testing method in the biotribocorrosion system, it can be divided into abrasion corrosion, fretting corrosion, sliding tribocorrosion and simulator biotribocorrosion. Especially, it reviewed the research progress on fretting corrosion, sliding corrosion and simulator tribocorrosion of titanium alloy, cobalt based alloy and stainless steel by researching the current literature. Then, it presented the removal process of passivation film, wear debris appearance and metal ion release as well as biotribocorrosion mechanism. Finally, it also summarized three research trends in the future including the biotribocorrosion simulation of the real working environment of implants, the effect of organic matter (such as albumin) on the biotribocorrosion behavior of implants and the biotribocorrosion behavior of artificial intervertebral disc.