Advances in Laser Additive Manufacturing of Ti-Nb Alloys: From Nanostructured Powders to Bulk Objects

• Published in: Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 11; no. 5; p. 1159
• Main Authors: Khimich, Margarita A, Prosolov, Konstantin A, Mishurova, Tatiana, Evsevleev, Sergei, Monforte, Xavier, Teuschl, Andreas H, Slezak, Paul, Ibragimov, Egor A, Saprykin, Alexander A, Kovalevskaya, Zhanna G, Dmitriev, Andrey I, Bruno, Giovanni, Sharkeev, Yurii P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 29.04.2021; MDPI
• Subjects: Additive manufacturing; Alloy powders; Alloys; Biocompatibility; biomaterials; Biomedical materials; Bulk modulus; Cell culture; Cell density; Cell viability; Cytotoxicity; Design; In vivo methods and tests; laser methods; Lasers; Mechanical alloying; Mechanical properties; Medical research; Methods; Modulus of elasticity; Morphology; Nanostructure; nanostructured powder; Pore size; Porosity; Powder beds; Powder metallurgy; powder methods; Surgical implants; Ti-Nb alloy; Titanium alloys; Titanium base alloys; Transplants & implants; additive manufacturing; laser methods; Ti-Nb alloy; nanostructured powder; powder methods; biomaterials; laser powder bed fusion
• ISSN: 2079-4991; 2079-4991
• DOI: 10.3390/nano11051159

The additive manufacturing of low elastic modulus alloys that have a certain level of porosity for biomedical needs is a growing area of research. Here, we show the results of manufacturing of porous and dense samples by a laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) of Ti-Nb alloy, using two distinctive fusion strategies. The nanostructured Ti-Nb alloy powders were produced by mechanical alloying and have a nanostructured state with nanosized grains up to 90 nm. The manufactured porous samples have pronounced open porosity and advanced roughness, contrary to dense samples with a relatively smooth surface profile. The structure of both types of samples after LPBF is formed by uniaxial grains having micro- and nanosized features. The inner structure of the porous samples is comprised of an open interconnected system of pores. The volume fraction of isolated porosity is 2 vol. % and the total porosity is 20 vol. %. Cell viability was assessed in vitro for 3 and 7 days using the MG63 cell line. With longer culture periods, cells showed an increased cell density over the entire surface of a porous Ti-Nb sample. Both types of samples are not cytotoxic and could be used for further in vivo studies.