Metallic biomaterials are widely used for implants and dental and orthopedic applications due to their good mechanical properties. Among all these materials, 316L stainless steel has gained special attention, because of its good characteristics as an implantable biomaterial. However, the Young’s modulus of this metal is much higher than that of human bone (~193 GPa compared to 5–30 GPa). Thus, a stress shielding effect can occur, leading the implant to fail. In addition, due to this difference, the bond between implant and surrounding tissue is weak. Already, calcium phosphate ceramics, such as beta-tricalcium phosphate, have shown excellent osteoconductive and osteoinductive properties. However, they present low mechanical strength. For this reason, this study aimed to combine 316L stainless steel with the beta-tricalcium phosphate ceramic (β-TCP), with the objective of improving the steel’s biological performance and the ceramic’s mechanical strength. The 316L stainless steel/β-TCP biocomposites were produced using powder metallurgy and functionally graded materials (FGMs) techniques. Initially, β-TCP was obtained by solid-state reaction using powders of calcium carbonate and calcium phosphate. The forerunner materials were analyzed microstructurally. Pure 316L stainless steel and β-TCP were individually submitted to temperature tests (1000 and 1100 °C) to determine the best condition. Blended compositions used to obtain the FGMs were defined as 20% to 20%. They were homogenized in a high-energy ball mill, uniaxially pressed, sintered and analyzed microstructurally and mechanically. The results indicated that 1100 °C/2 h was the best sintering condition, for both 316L stainless steel and β-TCP. For all individual compositions and the FGM composite, the parameters used for pressing and sintering were appropriate to produce samples with good microstructural and mechanical properties. Wettability and hemocompatibility were also achieved efficiently, with no presence of contaminants. All results indicated that the production of 316L stainless steel/β-TCP FGMs through PM is viable for dental and orthopedic purposes.

The aim of this study was to provide an experimental investigation on the novel method for recycling chips of duplex stainless steel, with the addition of vanadium carbide, in order to produce metal/carbide composites from a high-energy mechanical milling process. Powders of duplex stainless steel with the addition of vanadium carbide were prepared by high-energy mechanical ball milling utilizing a planetary ball mill. For this proposal, experiments following a full factorial design with two replicates were planned, performed, and then analyzed. The four factors investigated in this study were rotation speed, milling time, powder to ball weight ratio and carbide percentage. For each factor, the experiments were conducted into two levels so that the internal behavior among them could be statistically estimated: 250 to 350 rpm for rotation speed, 10 to 50 h for milling time, 10:1 to 22:1 for powder to ball weight ratio, and 0 to 3% carbide percentage. In order to measure and characterize particle size, we utilized the analysis of particle size and a scanning electron microscopy. The results showed with the addition of carbide in the milling process cause an average of reduction in particle size when compared with the material without carbide added. All the four factors investigated in this study presented significant influence on the milling process of duplex stainless steel chips and the reduction of particle size. The statistical analysis showed that the addition of carbide in the process is the most influential factor, followed by the milling time, rotation speed and powder to ball weight ratio. Significant interaction effects among these factors were also identified.

The growth of the elderly population is urging for more suitable biomaterials to allow the performance of better surgical and implant procedures and accelerate the patient’s healing because the elderly are more vulnerable to orthopedic and dental problems. β-phase Ti alloys can improve the mechanical properties of implants by reducing their elastic modulus and, consequently, the effects of stress shielding within bones. Therefore, the objective of this article is to study a novel ternary β-phase alloy of Ti10Mo8Nb produced by an electric arc furnace and rotary forge. The microstructure and mechanical properties of the Ti10Mo8Nb alloy were investigated in order to evaluate its suitability for biomedical applications and compare its characteristics with those present in Ti-alloys commerced or widely researched for prosthetic purposes. A tensile test, Vickers microhardness test, use of microstructure of optical microscopy for examination of microstructure, X-ray diffraction and hemolysis analysis were carried out. Thus, the Ti10Mo8Nb alloy showed suitable properties for biomedical applications, as well as having the potential to reduce the possibility to occur stress shielding after prosthetic implantations, especially for orthopedics and dentistry.

Due to the increased consumption of raw materials, energy, and the waste it generates, recycling has become very important and fundamental for the environment and the industrial sector. The production of duplex stainless–steel powders with the addition of vanadium carbide in the high energy mechanical milling process is a new method for recycling materials for the manufacture of components in the industrial sector. This study aims to reuse the chips from the duplex stainless–steel UNS S31803 by powder metallurgy with the addition of Vanadium carbide (VC). The mechanical milling was performed using a planetary ball mill for 50 h at a milling speed of 350 rpm and a ball-to-powder weight ratio of 20:1, and the addition of 3 wt % of VC. The material submitted to milling with an addition of carbide has a particle size of less than 140 μm. After milling, the sample went through a stress relief treatment performed at 1050 °C for 1 h and the isostatic compaction process loaded with 300 MPa. The sintered powders and material was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and micro-hardness tests. The milling process with an addition of 3% VC produced a particle size smaller than the initial chip size. The measurement of micrometric sizes obtained was between 26 and 132 μm. The sintered material had a measurement of porosity evaluated at 15%. The obtained density of the material was 84% compared to the initial density of the material as stainless–steel duplex UNS S31803. The value of the microhardness measurement was 232 HV. The material submitted for grinding presented the formation of a martensitic structure and after the thermal treatment, the presence of ferrite and austenite phases was observed. Thus, in conclusion, this study demonstrates the efficacy in the production of a metal-ceramic composite using a new method to recycle stainless–steel duplex UNS S31803 chips.