Alloys based on TiNi are widely used in various fields of technology and medicine. In the present work, we report on the preparation of TiNi-alloy-based wire with the shape-memory effect, which was used for compression clips for surgery. The composition and structure of the wire and its martensitic and physical–chemical properties were studied using SEM, TEM, optic microscopy, profilometry, mechanical tests, etc. The TiNi alloy was found to consist of B2 and B19′ and secondary-phase particles of Ti₂Ni, TiNi₃ and Ti₃Ni₄. Its matrix was slightly enriched in Ni (50.3 at.% of Ni). A homogeneous grain structure was revealed (an average grain size of 19 ± 0.3 μm) with equal quantities of grain boundaries of special and general types. The surface oxide layer provides improved biocompatibility and promotes the adhesion of protein molecules. Overall, the obtained TiNi wire was concluded to exhibit martensitic, physical and mechanical properties suitable for its use as an implant material. The wire was then used for manufacturing compression clips with the shape-memory effect and applied in surgery. The medical experiment that involved 46 children demonstrated that the use of such clips in children with double-barreled enterostomies permitted improvement in the results of surgical treatment.

A new approach to fabricate TiNi surfaces combining the advantages of both monolithic and porous materials for implants is used in this work. New materials were obtained by depositing a porous TiNi powder onto monolithic TiNi plates followed by sintering at 1200 °C. Then, further modification of the material surface with a high-current-pulsed electron beam (HCPEB) was carried out. Three materials obtained (one after sintering and two after subsequent beam treatment by 30 pulses with different pulse energy) were studied by XRD, SEM, EDX, surface profilometry, and by means of electrochemical measurements, including OCP and EIS. Structural and compositional changes caused by HCPEB treatment were investigated. Surface properties of the samples during their storage in saline for 10 days were studied and a model experiment with cell growth (MCF-7) was carried out for the unmodified sample with an electron beam to detect cell appearance on different surface locations.

The mechanical characteristics of a monolithic (non-porous) crystalline or amorphous material are described by a well-defined set of quantities. It is possible to change the mechanical properties by introducing porosity into this material; as a rule, the strength values decrease with the introduction of porosity. Thus, porosity can be considered an additional degree of freedom that can be used to influence the hardness, strength and plasticity of the material. In the present work, using porous crystalline NiTi as an example, it is shown that the mechanical characteristics such as the Young’s modulus, the yield strength, the ultimate tensile strength, etc., demonstrate a pronounced dependence on the average linear size $\overline{l}$ of the pores. For the first time, an empirical equation is proposed that correctly reproduces the dependence of the mechanical characteristics on the porosity $\varphi$ and on the average linear size $\overline{l}$ of the pores in a wide range of sizes: from nano-sized pores to pores of a few hundred microns in size. This equation correctly takes into account the limit case corresponding to the monolithic material. The obtained results can be used directly to solve applied problems associated with the design of materials with the necessary combination of physical and mechanical characteristics, in particular, porous metallic biomaterials.

This work is devoted to the physical and mechanical properties of porous alloys based on TiNi alloyed with different amounts of Cu additive. We show that by doping a porous TiNi alloy with copper instead of nickel, it is possible to obtain characteristics acceptable for use in implantology and superior to those of known porous TiNi alloys. Cu addition in the range from 1 to 10 at.% is shown to optimize the properties of tested alloys. There is a decrease in the minimal martensitic transformation stress ${\tau }_{M_s}^{min}$ from 37 to 17 MPa when compared to initial unalloyed TiNi. Alloys with 3 and 6 at.% of Cu are found to be optimal for use in medical practice. Along with a wide temperature range of reversible deformations that cover the range of operating temperatures (273–313 K), such alloys demonstrate their martensitic transformation stress values below 28 MPs. This permits to model implantable structures of complex configuration from such materials under a certain temperature regime.

TiNi alloys are very widely used materials in implant fabrication. When applied in rib replacement, they are required to be manufactured as combined porous-monolithic structures, ideally with a thin, porous part well-adhered to its monolithic substrate. Additionally, good biocompatibility, high corrosion resistance and mechanical durability are also highly demanded. So far, all these parameters have not been achieved in one material, which is why an active search in the field is still underway. In the present study, we prepared new porous-monolithic TiNi materials by sintering a TiNi powder (0–100 µm) on monolithic TiNi plates, followed by surface modification with a high-current pulsed electron beam. The obtained materials were evaluated by a set of surface and phase analysis methods, after which their corrosion resistance and biocompatibility (hemolysis, cytotoxicity, and cell viability) were evaluated. Finally, cell growth tests were conducted. In comparison with flat TiNi monoliths, the newly developed materials were found to have better corrosion resistance, also demonstrating good biocompatibility and potential for cell growth on their surface. Thus, the newly developed porous-on-monolith TiNi materials with different surface porosity and morphology showed promise as potential new-generation implants for use in rib endoprostheses.