Mechanical and electrochemical characterization of Ti-12Mo-5Zr alloy for biomedical application

We have fabricated a new beta metastable titanium alloy that comprised of non-toxic elements Mo and Zr. Ingot with composition of Ti-12Mo-5Zr is prepared by melting pure metals in a vacuum non-consumable arc melting furnace. The alloy is then homogenized and solution treated under different temperature. The alloy is characterized by optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, tensile tests and found to have an acicular martensitic alpha '' + beta structure and dominant beta phase for the 1053 K and 1133 K solution treatment samples, respectively. The elastic modulus of the latter is about 64 GPa, which is much lower than those of pure Ti and Ti-6Al-4V alloy. In addition, it had moderate strength and much higher microhardness as compared with Ti-6Al-4V alloy. The results show better mechanical biocompatibility of this alloy, which will avoid stress shielding and thus prevent bone resorption in orthopedic implants applications. As long-term stability in biological environment is required, we have also evaluated the electrochemical behavior in a simulated body fluid (Hank's solution). Potentiodynamic polarization curves exhibits that the 1133 K solution treatment Ti-12Mo-5Zr sample has better corrosion properties than Ti-6Al-4V and is comparable to the pure titanium. The good corrosion resistance combined with better mechanical biocompatibility makes the Ti-12Mo-5Zr alloy suitable for use as orthopedic implants. (C) 2011 Elsevier B. V. All rights reserved.