Influence of Solid Loading on the Gel-Casting of Porous NiTi Alloys

Porous NiTi alloys are widely applied in the field of medical implant materials due to their excellent properties. In this paper, porous NiTi alloys were prepared by non-aqueous gel-casting. The influence of solid loading on the process characteristics of slurries and the microstructure and mechanical properties of sintered samples were investigated. The viscosity and the stability of slurry significantly increased with the growth of solid loading, and the slurry had better process characteristics in the solid loading range of 40-52 vol.%. Meanwhile, the porosity and average pore diameter of the sintered NiTi alloys decreased with a rise in the solid loading, while the compressive strength increased. Porous NiTi alloys with porosities of 43.3-48.6%, average pore sizes of 53-145 mu m, and compressive strengths of 87-167 MPa were fabricated by gel-casting. These properties meet the requirements of cortical bone. The results suggest that the pore structure and mechanical properties of porous NiTi products produced by gel-casting can be adjusted by controlling the solid loading.

Automated summary

This paper investigates the process characteristics and properties of porous NiTi alloys prepared by non-aqueous gel-casting. The results show that the viscosity and stability of the slurry increase with the increase of solid loading, and the slurry exhibits better process characteristics within the solid loading range of 40-52 vol.%. Additionally, the porosity and average pore diameter of the sintered NiTi alloys decrease while the compressive strength increases with a rise in the solid loading. Porous NiTi alloys with suitable properties for cortical bone implantation were successfully fabricated by gel-casting, and the pore structure and mechanical properties can be adjusted by controlling the solid loading.