In vitro evaluation of the electrochemical behaviour of stainless steel and Ni-Ti orthodontic archwires at different temperatures.

The aim of this study was to compare the electrochemical corrosion behaviour of stainless steel (SS) and nickel-titanium (Ni-Ti) orthodontic archwires in Ringer's solution at temperatures ranging from 15 to 55°C by using linear sweep voltametry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Polarization curves show that the corrosion current density of SS is greater than that of Ni-Ti alloy. Since the corrosion current density is directly proportional to the corrosion rate, a great corrosion current density shows a lower resistance against corrosion. Therefore, in comparison with SS, Ni-Ti alloys have a lower corrosion rate. Results show that the temperature of the solution affects the corrosion rates of the alloys. As the temperature increases, the corrosion resistance of both of the alloys decreases, although these variations were not so large. Impedance measurements show that the electrochemical behaviour of Ni-Ti exhibits higher polarization resistance and lower capacitance, which means that passive film formed on this alloy is more homogeneous and thicker in comparison with SS. Results also show that polarization resistance of both alloys decreases slowly with increases in the temperature of the solution.