Influence of Temperature and Acid Etching Time on the Superficial Characteristics of Ti

Abstract

We evaluated the influence of the etching time and temperature of an acid solution (HCl/H2SO4) on the chemical and topographical superficial characteristics of cpTi grade IV. Samples were analyzed by electron microscopy, interferometry, and grazing incidence XRD. The surfaces kept the irregularity aspect when submitted to the same etching temperature. On the other hand, the irregularities increased in size and depth with increasing etching time. The etching treatments that produced higher values for roughness parameters showed a combination of high temperature for a longer etching time. Some treatments produced very large irregularities, with a brittle surface in some regions. According to statistical correlation, the temperature made the strongest contribution in the variance of the mean values of the surface roughness parameters when compared to the etching time. Titanium and oxygen were the only elements on the surface in all groups. All test group samples showed the presence of titanium hydride.