The paper presents the results of the preparation of bulk and porous Ti-Ta-Ag alloys. The first step of this study was the preparation of the powder alloys using mechanical alloying (MA). The second was hot-pressing consolidation and sintering with a space holder, which resulted in high-density and high-porosity (approximately 70%) samples, respectively. Porosity, morphology, mechanical properties, biocompatibility, and antibacterial behavior were investigated and related to the preparation procedures. The authors found that Ta and Ag heavily influence the microstructure and determine other biomaterial-related properties. These new materials showed positive behavior in the MTT assay, and antibacterial properties. Such materials could find applications in the production of hard tissue implants.
Keywords: biomaterials; hot pressing; mechanical alloying; space holder; titanium alloys.