Laser coating of zirconium + ZrO2 composites on Ti6Al4V for biomedical applications

Abstract

Laser coating is an advanced coating technology for improving the surface properties of various components. These coatings are extremely dense, crack-free and have non-porous microstructures. Coatings archived by laser based coating technology have uniform composition and coatings thickness which results in them displaying excellent metallurgical bonding properties with the base material. Laser coating of components can create a surface with high resistance against wear, corrosion and elevated temperatures. In this work Ti6Al4V base material was coated with Zirconium and Zirconia composite material to improve the corrosion and wear resistance of the base material. Zirconium powder mixed with binder (PVA and cold glue) was heated to produce a thin layer which was then bonded to the Ti6Al4V by irradiation with a fibre laser forming a Zirconium + Zirconia composite due to an in-situ reaction in the liquid state. Laser coating results show a gradual hardness increase of coated Ti6Al4V from top to bottom and was found that PVA produce better bonding as compared to Zr without binder and cold glue.