Surface nanostructures orienting self-protection of an orthodontic nickel-titanium shape memory alloys wire

Abstract

Shape memory alloys (SMA) have been applied to a wide variety of applications in a number of different fields such as aeronautical applications, sensors/actuators, medical sciences as well as orthodontics. It is a hot topic to enhance the anti-corrosion ability of orthodontic wires for clinical applications. In this letter, a very nice fractal structure, micro-domains with identical nanometer sized grooves, was obtained on the surfaces of the orthodontic wires with an oxygen plasma and acid corrosion. The concave parts of the grooves were dominated by titanium and convex parts were the same as the bulk wires. The micro-nano fractal structure generated a hydrophobic surface with the largest contact angle to water being about 157°. The titanium dominated nanolayer and the hydrophobicity of the surface resulted in jointly the great improvement of the anti-corrosion ability of the orthodontic wires. Because the fractal structures of the wires were formed automatically when they immersed in acidic environment, hence, the self-protection of the oxygen plasma-treated orthodontic wires in acidic environment indicates their potential applications in orthodontics, and should be also inspirable for other applications of SMA materials.