Experimental Research on New Developed Titanium Alloys for Biomedical Applications

Cristina Jimenez-Marcos; Julia Claudia Mirza-Rosca; Madalina Simona Baltatu; Petrica Vizureanu

doi:10.3390/bioengineering9110686

Experimental Research on New Developed Titanium Alloys for Biomedical Applications

Bioengineering (Basel). 2022 Nov 12;9(11):686. doi: 10.3390/bioengineering9110686.

Authors

Cristina Jimenez-Marcos¹, Julia Claudia Mirza-Rosca¹, Madalina Simona Baltatu², Petrica Vizureanu²

Affiliations

¹ Mechanical Engineering Department, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria University, 35017 Tafira, Spain.
² Department of Technologies and Equipment for Materials Processing, Faculty of Materials Science and Engineering, Gheorghe Asachi Technical University of Iaşi, 700050 Iasi, Romania.

Abstract

The mechanical properties and electrochemical behavior of two new titanium alloys, Ti20Mo7Zr and Ti20Mo7Zr0.5Si, are investigated in this paper. The alloys have been manufactured by vacuum arc remelting (VAR) technique and studied to determine their microstructure, corrosion behavior, and mechanical properties. Metallographic observations and quantitative microanalysis by optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy SEM, and energy dispersive X-rays spectroscopy EDX were performed. Data about the three-point bending test and microhardness are presented. For electrochemical properties, three different environments were used: Ringer solution at 25 °C, Ringer solution at 40 °C simulating fever condition, and 3.5% NaCl solution. Metallographic investigation revealed the biphasic and dendritic structure of both samples when the procedures were performed. Electrochemical testing in body simulation fluid, fever conditions, and saline medium showed that the lower the proportion of silicon in the samples, the higher the corrosion resistance. The formation of a titanium oxide layer on the surface of both samples was noticed using quantitative EDX analysis. The three-point bending test for the two samples revealed that the presence of silicon decreases the modulus of elasticity; the surface of the samples displayed soft and hard phases in the microhardness test. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) measurements were carried out at different potentials, and the obtained spectra exhibit a two-time constant system, attesting double-layer passive film on the samples.

Keywords: Ti20Mo7Zr; Ti20Mo7Zr0.5Si; corrosion behavior; mechanical properties; microstructure; titanium alloys.

Grants and funding

This paper was financially supported by the Project “Network of excellence in applied research and innovation for doctoral and postdoctoral programs/InoHubDoc”, project co-funded by the European Social Fund financing agreement no. POCU/993/6/13/153437. This paper was also supported by “Gheorghe Asachi” Technical University from Iaşi (TUIASI), through the Project “Performance and excellence in postdoctoral research 2022”.