Role of Silicon in the Microstructural Development and Properties of Ti-15Nb-xSi Alloys for Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Ti-Nb alloys are attractive for biomedical implants and the addition of Si can lead to an improved set of properties. This study investigates the effect on the microstructures and properties of solutiontreated Ti-15Nb-xSi alloys followed by furnace cooling (FC), and water quenching (WQ). Based on the results, Si acts as a β-stabilizing element by increasing the β volume fraction from 13%-36% in FC samples to a range from 0%-0.55% Si. The elastic modulus decreased under both conditions and reached approximately 63 GPa in WQ samples with 0.35% Si due to an increased α" unit cell volume. On the other hand, hardness increased with increased Si content under FC and WQ conditions to a maximum of 313 HV in the WQ sample containing 0.55% Si.

Development of Gallium Silicon Titanium Alloys for Dental Implants

“…Consequently, all three alloys exhibited α-phase, which was validated by XRD. This result concurs with the microstructural tests conducted by [27] on the Ti-15Nb-5Si alloy. SEM images of Ti, Ti-Ga and Ga-Si-Ti alloys indicated irregular grain boundaries in the present investigation.…”

“…The hardness values for Ti and Ti-Ga alloys found in this study are similar to those found by [2]. The Ti-15NbxSi alloy was given a hardness value of 313 AE 7 by [27]. This is a slightly higher than the hardness of the Ga-Si-Ti alloy from this study, where they used two βstabilizing alloys.…”