Antibacterial Properties of Ti-6Al-4V-xCu Alloys

Surgical implant-associated bacterial infection is becoming a serious clinical problem. A series of copper-bearing titanium alloy, Ti-6Al-4V-xCu (x = 1, 3, 5 wt%), were fabricated in the present study in order to reduce the hazard of the bacterial infection problem by means of the strong antibacterial ability of Cu element. The metallography, X-ray diffraction, antibacterial ability, corrosion resistance and cytotoxicity of Ti-6Al-4V-xCu alloys were preliminarily studied with comparison to the commercial medical Ti-6Al-4V alloy. The Ti-6Al-4V-xCu alloys showed obvious antibacterial abilities with good corrosion resistance and cytocompatibility, and the antibacterial role was enhanced with increasing Cu content, which has significant potential for clinical applications as surgical implant materials.