Effect of surface mechanical attrition treatment of titanium using alumina balls: Surface roughness, contact angle and apatite forming ability

The effect of surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT) of commercially pure titanium (CP-Ti) using 8mm Ø alumina balls was studied. SMAT induced plastic deformation, increased the surface roughness, reduced the grain size and decreased the contact angle (from 64° to 43°) with a corresponding increase in surface energy (from 32 to 53 mJ/m²). Untreated CP-Ti and those treated using alumina balls for 900 s reveals no apatite growth until the 28th day of immersion whereas those treated for 1800 and 2700 s exhibit apatite growth in selective areas and the extent of growth is increased with increase in immersion time in SBF. The study reveals that SMAT using alumina balls is beneficial in imparting the desired surface characteristics, provided the surface contamination is limited, which would otherwise decrease the apatite forming ability.