YAG laser nitriding treatment of titanium prostheses

Abstract

I investigated Ti nitride plating by yttrium aluminum garnet (YAG) laser irradiation in a nitrogen atmosphere. The results were compared to those obtained by ion-plating and furnace heating. Although all treatments resulted in the appearance of a gold color to the naked eye, color measuring instruments revealed minor differences. X-ray defractometer tests revealed Ti and TiN peaks for laser nitriding and ion-plating, while furnace heating produced Ti_2N peaks. The laser nitriding technique was better than the others in terms of Vicker's hardness and wear resistance. Three point-bending created cracks in all specimens.