Microstructure and mechanical properties of a newly developed low Young's modulus Ti-15Zr-5Cr-2Al biomedical alloy

Effect of Alloying Elements on the Compressive Mechanical Properties of Biomedical Titanium Alloys: A Systematic Review

Due to problems such as the stress-shielding effect, strength-ductility trade-off dilemma, and use of rare-earth, expensive elements with high melting points in Ti alloys, the need for the design of new Ti alloys for biomedical applications has emerged. This article reports the effect of various alloying elements on the compressive mechanical performance of Ti alloys for biomedical applications for the first time as a systematic review following the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines on this subject. The search strategy in this systematic review used Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed databases and searched the articles using (Beta-type OR β) AND Titanium AND (Mechanical property OR Microstructure) AND Alloying element keywords. Original articles from 2016 to 2022 published in English have been selected for this study as per the inclusion criteria. The results have shown that Nb can be used as the primary alloying element with Ti as it is a strong β-stabilizer element which also reduces the elastic modulus of Ti alloys. The β-eutectic elements (Fe, Cr, and Mn) have also emerged as cost-effective alloying elements that could improve the mechanical performance of Ti alloys. Ti-Nb-Zr-Ta alloyed with Si has shown potential to withstand the strength-ductility trade-off dilemma. The combination of a Ti-Nb binary alloy has emerged as an attractive material for designing low elastic modulus Ti alloys. The mechanical performance of the Ti-Nb alloy can be further improved using the β-eutectic (Fe, Cr, and Mn) and neutral (Zr, Sn) elements to be alloyed with a Ti-Nb binary alloy. The strength-ductility trade-off issue can be overcome using Si as an alloying element in Ti-Nb-Zr-Ta alloys.

Machine Learning Assisted Prediction of Microstructures and Young’s Modulus of Biomedical Multi-Component β-Ti Alloys

Recently, the development of β-titanium (Ti) alloys with a low Young’s modulus as human implants has been the trend of research in biomedical materials. However, designing β-titanium alloys by conventional experimental methods is too costly and inefficient. Therefore, it is necessary to propose a method that can efficiently and reliably predict the microstructures and the mechanical properties of biomedical titanium alloys. In this study, a machine learning prediction method is proposed to accelerate the design of biomedical multi-component β-Ti alloys with low moduli. Prediction models of microstructures and Young’s moduli were built at first. The performances of the models were improved by introducing new experimental data. With the help of the models, a Ti–13Nb–12Ta–10Zr–4Sn (wt.%) alloy with a single β-phase microstructure and Young’s modulus of 69.91 GPa is successfully developed. This approach could also be used to design other advanced materials.

3D Printing Technologies in Metallic Implants: A Thematic Review on the Techniques and Procedures

Additive manufacturing (AM) is among the most attractive methods to produce implants, the processes are very swift and it can be precisely controlled to meet patient's requirement since they can be produced in exact shape, dimension, and even texture of different living tissues. Until now, lots of methods have emerged and used in this field with diverse characteristics. This review aims to comprehensively discuss 3D printing (3DP) technologies to manufacture metallic implants, especially on techniques and procedures. Various technologies based on their main properties are categorized, the effecting parameters are introduced, and the history of AM technology is briefly analyzed. Subsequently, the utilization of these AM-manufactured components in medicine along with their effectual variables is discussed, and special attention is paid on to the production of porous scaffolds, taking pore size, density, etc., into consideration. Finally, 3DP of the popular metallic systems in medical applications such as titanium, Ti6Al4V, cobalt-chromium alloys, and shape memory alloys are studied. In general, AM manufactured implants need to comply with important requirements such as biocompatibility, suitable mechanical properties (strength and elastic modulus), surface conditions, custom-built designs, fast production, etc. This review aims to introduce the AM technologies in implant applications and find new ways to design more sophisticated methods and compatible implants that mimic the desired tissue functions.

Crystal Structure Evolution, Microstructure Formation, and Properties of Mechanically Alloyed Ultrafine-Grained Ti-Zr-Nb Alloys at 36≤Ti≤70 (at. %)

Titanium β-type alloys are preferred biomaterials for hard tissue replacements due to the low Young modulus and limitation of harmful aluminum and vanadium present in the commercially available Ti6Al4V alloy. The aim of this study was to develop a new ternary Ti-Zr-Nb system at 36 ≤ Ti ≤ 70 (at. %). The technical viability of preparing Ti-Zr-Nb alloys by high-energy ball-milling in a SPEX 8000 mill has been studied. These materials were prepared by the combination of mechanical alloying and powder metallurgy approach with cold powder compaction and sintering. Changes in the crystal structure as a function of the milling time were investigated using X-ray diffraction. Our study has shown that mechanical alloying supported by cold pressing and sintering at the temperature below α→β transus (600 °C) can be applied to synthesize single-phase, ultrafine-grained, bulk Ti(β)-type Ti30Zr17Nb, Ti23Zr25Nb, Ti30Zr26Nb, Ti22Zr34Nb, and Ti30Zr34Nb alloys. Alloys with lower content of Zr and Nb need higher sintering temperatures to have them fully recrystallized. The properties of developed materials are also engrossing in terms of their biomedical use with Young modulus significantly lower than that of pure titanium.

The Electrochemical and Mechanical Behavior of Bulk and Porous Superelastic Ti‒Zr-Based Alloys for Biomedical Applications

Titanium alloys are well recognized as appropriate materials for biomedical implants. These devices are designed to operate in quite aggressive human body media, so it is important to study the corrosion and electrochemical behavior of the novel materials alongside the underlying chemical and structural features. In the present study, the prospective Ti‒Zr-based superelastic alloys (Ti-18Zr-14Nb, Ti-18Zr-15Nb, Ti-18Zr-13Nb-1Ta, atom %) were analyzed in terms of their phase composition, functional mechanical properties, the composition and structure of surface oxide films, and the corresponding corrosion and electrochemical behavior in Hanks’ simulated biological solution. The electrochemical parameters of the Ti-18Zr-14Nb material in bulk and foam states were also compared. The results show a significant difference in the functional performance of the studied materials, with different composition and structure states. In particular, the positive effect of the thermomechanical treatment regime, leading to the formation of a favorable microstructure on the corrosion resistance, has been revealed. In general, the Ti-18Zr-15Nb alloy exhibits the optimum combination of functional characteristics in Hanks’ solution, while the Ti-18Zr-13Nb-1Ta alloy shows the highest resistance to the corrosion environment. The Ti-18Zr-14Nb-based foam material exhibits slightly lower passivation kinetics as compared to its bulk equivalent.