AbstractsEngineering

Investigation of new Ti-based metallic glasses with improved mechanical properties and corrosion resistance for implant applications

by Somayeh Abdi




Institution: Technische Universität Dresden
Department: Fakultät Maschinenwesen
Degree: PhD
Year: 2015
Record ID: 1111598
Full text PDF: http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:bsz:14-qucosa-161213


Abstract

The glass-forming Ti75Zr10Si15 alloy is regarded as a potential new material for implant applications due to its composition of non-toxic, biocompatible elements and many interesting mechanical properties. The effects of partial substitution of 15 at.-% Ti by Nb on the microstructure and mechanical behavior of the alloy have been investigated. The limited glass-forming ability (GFA) of the Ti75Zr10Si15 alloy results for melt-spun ribbons mainly in nanocomposite structures with β-type nanocrystals being embedded in a glassy matrix. Addition of Nb increases the glass-forming ability. Raising the overheating temperature of the melt prior to melt-spinning from 1923 K to 2053 K yields a higher amorphous phase fraction for both alloys. A decrease of hardness (H), ultimate stress and reduced Young’s modulus (Er) is observed for Ti60Zr10Nb15Si15 rods as compared to Ti75Zr10Si15 ones. This is attributed to an increase of the fraction of the β-type phase. The melt-spun ribbons show an interesting combination of very high hardness values (H) and moderate reduced elastic modulus values (Er). This results in comparatively very high H/Er ratios of >0.075 which suggests these new materials for applications demanding high wear resistance. The corrosion and passivation behavior of these alloys in their homogenized melt-spun states have been investigated in Ringer solution at 37°C in comparison to their cast multiphase crystalline counterparts and to cp-Ti and β-type Ti-40Nb. All tested materials showed very low corrosion rates. Electrochemical and surface analytical studies revealed a high stability of their passive states in a wide potential range. The addition of Nb does not only improve the glass-forming ability and the mechanical properties but also supports a high pitting resistance even at extreme anodic polarization. With regard to the corrosion properties, the Nb-containing nearly single-phase glassy alloy can compete with the β-type Ti-40Nb alloy. In addition, it has been demonstrated that thermal oxidation could be well applied to Ti75Zr10Si15 and Ti60Zr10Nb15Si15 melt-spun ribbons. Thermal oxidation treatment is one of the simple and cost-effective surface modification methods to improve the surface characteristics of these alloys. In the first tests, ribbon samples of the ternary and the quaternary alloy which were oxidized at 550°C in synthetic air showed suitable fundamental properties for implant applications, i.e. high hardness, good wettability and hydroxyapatite-forming ability after 10 days. All these properties recommend the new glass-forming alloys for application as wear- and corrosion-resistant coating materials for implants. Die glasbildende Legierung Ti75Zr10Si15 wird wegen ihrer biokompatiblen Zusammensetzung ohne toxische Elemente und auf Grund interessanter mechanischer Eigenschaften als potentielles neues Implantatmaterial betrachtet. Es wurden 15 at.-% Ti durch Nb partiell substituiert und die Effekte auf die Mikrostruktur und die mechanischen Eigenschaften der Legierung untersucht. Auf Grund der…