The purpose of this work is to obtain comprehensive reference data of the Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloy base material: its microstructure, mechanical, and physicochemical properties. In order to obtain extensive information on the tested materials, a number of examination methods were used, including SEM, XRD, and XPS to determine the phases occurring in the material, while mechanical properties were verified with static tensile, compression, and bending tests. Moreover, the alloy’s corrosion resistance in Ringer’s solution and the cytotoxicity were investigated using the MTT test. Studies have shown that this alloy has the structure α’, α, and β phases, indicating that parts of the β phase transformed to α’, which was confirmed by mechanical properties and the shape of fractures. Due to the good mechanical properties (E = 84.1 GPa), high corrosion resistance, as well as the lack of cytotoxicity on MC3T3 and NHDF cells, this alloy meets the requirements for medical implant materials. Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloy can be successfully used in implants, including bone tissue engineering products and dental applications.
Electron beam melting (EBM) is an additive manufacturing technique, which allows forming customized implants that perfectly fit the loss of the anatomical structure of bone. Implantation efficiency depends not only on the implant’s functional or mechanical properties but also on its surface properties, which are of great importance with regard to such biological processes as bone regeneration or microbial contamination. This work presents the impact of surface modifications (mechanical polishing, sandblasting, and acid-polishing) of EBM-produced Ti6Al4V ELI implants on essential biological parameters. These include wettability, cytotoxicity toward fibroblast and osteoblast cell line, and ability to form biofilm by Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans. Obtained results indicated that all prepared surfaces exhibited hydrophilic character and the highest changes of wettability were obtained by chemical modification. All implants displayed no cytotoxicity against osteoblast and fibroblast cell lines regardless of the modification type. In turn, the quantitative microbiological tests and visualization of microbial biofilm by means of electron microscopy showed that type of implant’s modification correlated with the species-specific ability of microbes to form biofilm on it. Thus, the results of the presented study confirm the relationship between such technological aspects as surface modification and biological properties. The provided data are useful with regard to applications of the EBM technology and present a significant step towards personalized, customized implantology practice.
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