Effects of H₂O₂ pretreatment on surface characteristics and bioactivity of NaOH-treated NiTi shape memory alloy

The effects of H₂O₂ pretreatment on the surface characteristics and bioactivity of NaOH-treated NiTi shape memory alloy (SMA) were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, Raman spectra, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy as well as a simulated body fluid (SBF) soaking test. It is found that the H₂O₂ pretreatment can lead to the direct creation of more Ti-OH groups and the decrease in the amount of Ni₂O₃, Na₂TiO₃ and remnant NiTi phases on the surfaces of bioactive NiTi SMA prepared by NaOH treatment. As a result, the induction period of apatite formation is shortened by dispensing with the slow kinetic formation process of Ti-OH groups via an exchange of Na⁺ ions from Na₂TiO₃ phase with H₃O⁺ ions in SBF, which indicates that the bioactivity of NaOH-treated NiTi SMA can be further improved by the H₂O₂ pretreatment.