Ti-based biocompatible alloys are especially used for replacing failed hard tissue. Some of the most actively investigated materials for medical implants are the beta-Ti alloys, as they have a low elastic modulus (to inhibit bone resorption). They are alloyed with elements such as Nb, Ta, Zr, Mo, and Fe. We have prepared a new beta-Ti alloy that combines Ti with the non-toxic elements Ta and Mo using a vacuum arc-melting furnace and then annealed at 950 degrees C for one hour. The alloy was finally quenched in water at room temperature. The Ti-12Mo-5Ta alloy was characterised by X-ray diffraction, optical microscopy, SEM and EDS and found to have a body-centred-cubic structure (beta-type). It had a lower Young's modulus (about 74 GPa) than the classical alpha/beta Ti-6Al-4V alloy (120 GPa), while its Vickers hardness remained very high (about 303 HV). This makes it a good compromise for a use as a bone substitute. The cytocompatibility of samples of Ti-12Mo-5Ta and Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloys with various surface roughnesses was assessed in vitro using organotypic cultures of bone tissue and quantitative analyses of cell migration, proliferation and adhesion. Mechanically polished surfaces were prepared to produce unorientated residual polished grooves and cells grew to a particularly high density on the smoother Ti-12Mo-5Ta surface tested.
If an alloy contains even a small amount of a toxic element for human body, there is fear that trace amounts of the element may be released during prolonged use. Originally used as an aircraft material, the Ti-6Al-4V alloy (a+b type alloy) is now widely used a biomaterial. Since this alloy contains a small amount of vanadium, which has been shown to be cytotoxic at excess levels, there is concern over its effects on biological tissues. [1] Newly developed Ti-based biomaterials consist of low cytotoxic elements such as Zr, Nb, Mo, Ta... By addition of the cited b-stabilizer elements, stable or metastable b-type titanium alloys can be obtained. [2] These alloys are particularly useful because of their strength and excellent cold deformability. Moreover, they are now recognized as advanced materials for orthopedic applications. [2][3][4] Advantages of b/near-b titanium alloys over a near-a or a+b alloys include their lower modulus and better formability. [5][6][7] Consequently, b-titanium alloys allow a greater load transfer from the artificial implant to the adjacent remodeled bone. The bone resorption is then minimized and a possible loosening of the prosthetic device is avoided. [8] We have recently developed a non-toxic b-metastable Ti-based alloy containing Mo and Ta b-stabilizer elements. This alloy was shown to exhibit a good balance of hardness and Young modulus with high corrosion resistance in simulated body fluid. [9,10] It is well known that when b-metastable Ti alloys are aged, x and a phases appear depending on the ageing temperature. In these alloys, a duplex thermal treatment has been proposed to control the precipitation of a phase: the x phase acting as a nucleation site for the precipitation of a leading to homogeneously and finely dispersed a nanophase particles in the b matrix. The strength and the fracture toughness of b-metastable Ti alloys are then considerably enhanced by this duplex ageing process. [11,12] In the present study, phase transformation behaviors of six new b-type Ti alloys synthesized from Ti-Ta-Mo (3 alloys) and Ti-Ta-Mo-Fe (3 alloys) systems were investigated. There were compared with the industrial «Low Cost Beta» (LCB) metastable Ti alloy developed by Timet and recently studied by our group. [12,13] The different phase transitions upon heating were detected by employing Electric Resistivity Measurements (ERM) and Differential Scanning Calorimetry (DSC). In such alloys, the thermally activated nanostructure was observed by using Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM).We have preliminary synthesized the alloys by arc-melting furnace. The alloys were then quenched in water from the beta phase field (see experimental). The different chemical compositions of the quenched Ti-based alloys are presented in Table 1. The chemical compositions (in wt%) were checked by EDS analysis and each nominal composition was measured with less than 1 % error, which corresponds to the precision of the EDS analysis method. In this table is also presented the LCB metastable Ti alloy (in italic) cont...
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