Characterization of a new Ti-13Nb-13Zr-10Cu alloy with enhanced antibacterial activity for biomedical applications

The Ti-13Nb-13Zr-10Cu alloy as new biomedical material was prepared by Ar-arc melting. The microstructure characteristics, mechanical properties and antibacterial properties of Ti-13Nb-13Zr-10Cu alloy after heat treatment were studied. Results show that the Ti-13Nb-13Zr-10Cu alloy is mainly composed of beta-Ti, alpha-Ti, and some Cu-containing phases, e.g. CuZr, Ti2Cu, and Cu10Zr7. With the addition of Cu, the alpha-Ti phase significantly decreased, and some Cu-containing phases appeared in the form of reticular structure, which was mainly consisted of Cu, Zr and Ti elements. The CuZr and Ti2Cu phases in the reticular structure were identified by TEM. Compared with CP-Ti and Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloy, the elastic modulus of Ti-13Nb-13Zr-10Cu alloy was significantly reduced to 66 GPa, but its yield strength and compressive strength still retained at high levels. The Ti-13Nb-13Zr-10Cu alloy after 24 h of culture with S. aureus exhibits an enhanced antibacterial activity. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.