Porous NiTi alloys were manufactured by integration of gel-casting and microwave sintering. The effects of sintering temperature on porosity, compressive strength, pore morphology and phase composition of sintered samples were researched. The results show that the porosity and the mean pore diameter of porous NiTi alloys decrease with increasing sintering temperature, whereas the content of the NiTi phase, the elastic modulus and compressive strength of sintered samples increase. When the gel body with the solid loading of 50 vol.% is microwave sintered at 1000 °C for 30 min, porous NiTi alloys are obtained with the porosity of 38.9%, the compressive strength of 254 MPa, elastic modulus of 4 GPa, and predominant phase of NiTi. The results suggest that the method is suitable for rapid preparation of large-size and complex-shape personalized products similar to human bones at a low cost.
Keywords: gel-casting; mechanical properties; microstructure; microwave sintering; porous NiTi alloy.