Second-generation Titanium alloys Ti-15Mo and Ti-13Nb-13Zr: A Comparison of the Mechanical Properties for Implant Applications

Abstract

Due to their outstanding mechanical properties, excellent corrosion resistance and biocompatibility titanium and titanium alloys are the first choice for medical engineering products. Alloys currently used for implant applications are Ti-6Al-4V (ELI) and Ti-6Al-7Nb. Both alloys belong to the class of (α+β)-alloys and contain aluminium as an alloying element. Aluminium is cytotoxic and can cause breast cancer. In addition, the stiffness of (α+β)-alloys is relatively high which can lead to stress shielding, bone degradation and implant loss. For this reason, second-generation titanium alloys like Ti-15Mo (solute-lean metastable β-alloy) and Ti-13Nb-13Zr (β-rich (α+β)-alloy) have been developed. However, their application in medical implants is limited due to a relatively low strength. Therefore, in the present study, the mechanical properties of Ti-15Mo and Ti-13Nb-13Zr have been optimised by thermomechanical treatments to achieve high strengths combined with low stiffnesses. Different phase compositions have been used, namely, α-, β- and ω-phase in Ti-15Mo and α-, β- and αʺ-phase in Ti-13Nb-13Zr. For Ti-15Mo, the required mechanical properties’ combination could not be achieved whereas Ti-13Nb-13Zr showed high strength and a low Young’s modulus after a dedicated thermo-mechanical treatment. This makes the latter alloy a good option for replacing the (α+β)-alloys in implant applications in the future.