A Ti-15Mo/TiB metal matrix composite was produced by the spark plasma sintering process at 1400 °C using a Ti-14.25 wt.% Mo-5 wt.% TiB₂ powder mixture. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the composite were studied after non-isothermal rolling of specimens heated to 1000 °C to a thickness strain of ~0.7. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy, as well as X-ray analysis were used for microstructure examination; mechanical properties were evaluated using tensile testing and microhardness measurement. In the initial condition, the Ti-15Mo/TiB composite consisted of 8.5 vol.% of TiB needle-like particles heterogeneously distributed within the β matrix. A small volume of fractions of the α″ and ω phases was also found in the microstructure. Microstructure evolution of the composite during hot rolling was associated with dynamic recrystallization of the bcc titanium matrix and shortening of the TiB whiskers by a factor of ~2. The Ti-15Mo/TiB composite after hot rolling showed considerable improvement in ductility without substantial loss of strength and hardness. The hot rolled specimen was not fractured during the compression test even after 45% thickness reduction, while in the initial condition, the compression ductility was 22%. The yield strength for both conditions was quite similar (~1350 MPa). The hot rolled composite also showed some improvement in ductility to ~12% elongation at elevated temperature (500 °C) compared to the initial condition, the tensile elongation of which did not exceed 2%. The observed difference in the mechanical behavior was associated with the presence of the metastable α″ and isothermal ω phases in the initial condition and the more stable α phase in the hot rolled condition.

Ti(50-x)Zr38NbxTa8Sn4 high-entropy alloys with x = 0, 10, and 20 at.% were produced by vacuum arc melting in a high-purity argon atmosphere. The initial microstructures consisted of equiaxial bcc grains with sizes of 115 ± 30 µm, 250 ± 60 µm, and 280 ± 70 µm for the Ti30Nb20, Ti40Nb10, and Ti50Nb0 alloys, respectively. The Ti30Nb20 and Ti40Nb10 alloys showed untypical mechanical behavior with a short strain-hardening stage followed by a gradual decrease in flow stress after reaching the yield point. Although these two alloys had some inclination toward macroscopic strain localization, their tensile elongation was similar to that obtained in the Ti50Nb0 alloy, which had a more extended stage of uniform deformation. The differences were associated with distinct microstructures observed after deformation to fracture. The formation of dislocation bands and the activation of cross-slip at the microscale, as well as the appearance of kink bands at the mesoscale, can result in plastic instability. In contrast, a lamellar-like microstructure with parallel dislocation bands, such as the one observed in the Ti50Nb0 alloy, can ensure a more stable mechanical behavior. The developed alloys (Ti30Nb20 and Ti40Nb10) have properties that make them highly attractive for biomedical application due to a combination of very high yield strengths (1090 and 930 MPa, respectively), low Young’s moduli (~78 and ~69 GPa, respectively), reasonable ductility, and excellent biocompatibility.