Interfacial Chemistry and Adhesion between Titanium Dioxide Nanotube Layers and Titanium Substrates

Interfacial chemistry and adhesion between titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanotube layers and titanium (Ti) substrates were studied in this Article. TiO2 nanotube layers were produced on pure Ti by anodization and annealed in air for different time durations. The adhesion of the TiO2 nanotube layers was then investigated by Rockwell C indentation test. Results show that adhesion of TiO2 nanotube layers improved with the extension of annealing time. This improvement in adhesion of TiO2 nanotube layers was analyzed from the viewpoint of interfacial chemistry using energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). It suggests that more Ti−O bonds formed in the interface after annealing, and this led to the improved adhesion of the TiO2 nanoube layers.