Formation of Ti2Cu in Ti-Cu Alloys

One of the major issues with dental implants is failure due to bacterial infection, and additions of copper are known to improve the antimicrobial properties of Ti alloys. There are inconsistencies in the Ti rich area of the Cu-Ti binary phase diagram, hence the need to find out if Ti2Cu or Ti3Cu is formed, and to identify the type of formation of Ti2Cu. Four alloys: 20, 33, 40 and 50 Cu (mass%) were produced by arc melting and studied using SEM, XRD and DSC. The reactions were derived, and the temperatures of the reactions were determined by DSC. The formation of Ti2Cu is congruent, and no Ti3Cu was found.

Automated summary

Copper additions are known to enhance the antimicrobial properties of titanium alloys, which is important for preventing bacterial infection and failure in dental implants. By studying the Cu-Ti binary phase diagram, it was determined that Ti2Cu is formed congruently, while Ti3Cu was not found.