Surface Modification of Self-Consolidated Microporous Ti Implant Compacts Fabricated by Electro-Discharge-Sintering in Air

A single pulse of 0.75-2.0 kJ/0.7g of atomized spherical Ti powders from 300 mF capacitor was applied to produce a microporous Ti implant compact by electro-discharge-sintering (EDS). A solid core in the middle of the compact surrounded by a microporous layer was found. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy was employed to study the surface characteristics of the EDS Ti compact and it revealed that Ti, C and O were the main constituents on the surface with a smaller amount of N. The surface was lightly oxidized and was primarily in the form of TiO₂ resulting from the air oxidation during EDS processing. The lightly oxidized surface of the EDS compact also exhibited Ti nitrides such as TiN and TiON, which revealed that the reaction between air constituents and the Ti powders even in times as short as 128 msec.