Electrochemical Determination of the Corrosion Resistance of Ag-Pd Dental Alloys

Abstract

The electrochemical behavior of a three Ag-Pd alloys used in dental prosthetics construction for crowns and bridges was studied in artificial saliva using the polarization curves and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The corrosion resistance was evaluated by means of the corrosion currents value and by coulometric analysis. The open circuit potential of Ag-Pd are attributed to dealloying followed by surface enrichment with Ag and the possible formation of an insoluble AgCl surface film on the respective alloy surfaces. Our results have shown that these alloys have a somewhat good corrosion resistance in artificial saliva. When increasing the content of Cu, corrosion resistance decreases. The passivation of all samples occurred spontaneously at the open circuit potential. The electrochemical properties of the spontaneously passivated electrodes at the open circuit potential were studied by EIS. The polarization resistance (R-p) and the electrode capacitance (C-dl) were determined. The polarisation resistance of all the samples increases with the immersion time. The polarization resistances are largest and decrease when increasing the content of Cu. Cu reduces the Ag-Pd alloy corrosion resistance. The present study, thought limited, has shown that electrochemical characteristics can be use to identify such alloys. Knowledge of the in vitro corrosion behaviour of these alloys may lead to better understanding of any biologically adverse effects in vitro.