Titaniumβ-type alloys are a class of interesting biomaterials that can exhibit a unique combination of mechanical as well as physicochemical and biological properties. The aim of this study is to develop a titanium-molybdenum alloys (Ti-x at % Mo,x= 15 and 23). These materials were prepared by the combination of mechanical alloying and powder metallurgical process. The details of the processing method were presented. The samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron micros-copy, chemical composition determination as well as density and Vickers microhardness measurements. The corrosion behaviour in Ringer solution was investigated, too. The crystallization of the obtained material upon annealing led to the formation of a near singleβtype alloys. The molybdenum content in titanium and heat treatment parameters of a nearly amorphous phase allow to synthesize Ti(β)-type alloys. The present study has demonstrated that Ti23Mo alloy can be the next generation of biomaterial for bone tissue engineering.
Ultrafine-grained Ti31Mo alloy and Ti31Mo5HA, Ti31Mo5HA-Ag (or Ta2O5, CeO2) composites with a grain size of approximately 2 μm were produced by the application of mechanical alloying and powder metallurgy. Additionally, the surface of the Ti31Mo alloy was modified. In the first stage, the specimens were immersed in 5M NaOH for 24 h at 60 °C. In the second stage, hydroxyapatite (HA) was deposited on the sample surface. The cathodic deposition at −5 V vs. open circuit potential (OCP) in the electrolyte containing 0.25M CaNa2-EDTA (di-calcium ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid), 0.25M K2HPO4 in 1M NaOH at 120 °C for 2 h was applied. The bulk Ti31Mo alloy is a single β-type phase. In the alkali-modified surface titanium oxide, Ti3O is formed. After hydrothermal treatment, the surface layer mostly consists of the Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2 (81.23%) with about 19% content of CaHPO4·2H2O. Using optical profiler, roughness 2D surface topography parameters were estimated. The in vitro cytocompatibility of synthesized materials was studied. The cell lines of normal human osteoblasts (NHost) and human periodontal ligament fibroblasts (HPdLF) was conducted in the presence of tested biomaterials. Ultrafine-grained Ti-based composites altered with HA and Ag, Ta2O5 or CeO2 have superior biocompatibility than the microcrystalline Ti metal. NHost and HPdLF cells in the contact with the synthesized biomaterial showed stable proliferation activity. Biocompatibility tests carried out indicate that the ultrafine-grained Ti31Mo5HA composites with Ag, Ta2O5, or CeO2 could be a good candidate for implant applications.
In this paper, binary β type Ti-23 at.% Mo alloys were obtained by arc melting as well as by mechanical alloying and powder metallurgical process with cold powder compaction and sintering or, interchangeably, hot pressing. The influence of the synthesis method on the microstructure and properties of bulk alloys were studied. The produced materials were characterized by an X-ray diffraction technique, scanning electron microscopy and chemical composition determination. Young’s modulus was evaluated with nanoindentation testing method based on the Oliver and Pharr approach. The mechanically alloyed Ti-23 at.% Mo powders, after inductively hot-pressed at 800 °C for 5 min, allowed the formation of single Ti(β) phase alloy. In this case, Young’s modulus and Vickers hardness were 127 GPa and 454 HV0.3, respectively. Among the examined materials, the porous (55%) single-phase scaffold showed the lowest indentation modulus (69.5 GPa). Analytical approach performed in this work focuses also on the surface properties. The estimation includes the corrosion resistance analyzed in the potentiodynamic test, and also some wettability properties as a contact angle, and surface free energy values measured in glycerol and diiodomethane testing fluids. Additionally, surface modification of processed material by micro-arc oxidation and electrophoretic deposition on the chosen samples was investigated. Proposed procedures led to the formation of apatite and fluorapatite layers, which influence both the corrosion resistance and surface wetting properties in comparison to unmodified samples. The realized research shows that a single-phase ultrafine-grained Ti-23 at.% Mo alloy for medical implant applications can be synthesized at a temperature lower than the transition point by the application of hot pressing of mechanically alloyed powders. The material processing, that includes starting powder preparation, bulk alloy transformation, and additional surface treatment functionalization, affect final properties by the obtained phase composition and internal structure.