β-Type Ti-Mo-Si ternary alloys designed for biomedical applications

In order to explore the superior performances of Ti-based biochemical materials, a series of beta-type Ti-10Mo-xSi alloys were designed and prepared, based on the analysis of both biocompatible and mechanical aspects. The microstructure and mechanical properties of these alloys were investigated. It was shown that all the as cast samples primarily contain equiaxed beta-Ti phase and minor alpha '' particles. The yield strength and Young's modulus of the alloys are sensitively but nonlinearly affected by the Si content. These beta-type Ti-10Mo-xSi alloys exhibit high compressive strength over 1121 MPa, high yield stress of 613.599-910.160 MPa, low Young's modulus in the range of 20.719-26.612 GPa, and together with large plastic strain over 21.503%. According to the good combination of high yield strength, low Young's modulus and excellent biocompatibility of the constituent elements, these beta-type alloys offer potential advantages in biomedical field for hard tissue replacements. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.