High-Pressure Torsion Affects Mechanical Properties, Electrochemical Behavior, and Cellular Response to a Biomedical Ti-Nb-Zr-Ta Alloy

• Published in: MATERIALS TRANSACTIONS Vol. 66; no. 5; pp. 490 - 500
• Main Authors: Kesavan, Praveenkumar, Yadav, Mayank Kumar, Nilawar, Sagar, Chatterjee, Kaushik, Sahay, Saurish, Manivasagam, Geetha
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sendai The Japan Institute of Metals and Materials 01.05.2025; 公益社団法人 日本金属学会; Japan Science and Technology Agency
• Subjects: Ambient temperature; Biological properties; Biomedical materials; bulk texture; Corrosion; Corrosion resistance; cytocompatibility; Electrochemical analysis; Grain boundaries; Grain refinement; High pressure; high-pressure torsion; Mechanical properties; Phase transitions; Texture; Titanium base alloys; Zirconium; β-titanium alloys
• ISSN: 1345-9678; 1347-5320
• DOI: 10.2320/matertrans.MT-MC2024013

This study investigates the microstructural evolution, mechanical properties, and biological response of the Ti-34Nb-2Ta-3Zr-0.5O (mass%) alloy processed by High-Pressure Torsion (HPT) at ambient temperature, focusing on its suitability for biomedical applications. The HPT process significantly increased the fraction of high-angle grain boundaries, particularly in the range of 50–60°. Grain refinement was observed after both 2 and 4 turns of HPT; ultra-fine grain fraction increased with an increase in the number of turns of HPT. No phase transformations occurred during deformation. The bulk texture indicates the formation of a fibrous texture post-HPT processing. The hardness of the samples increased up to 348 HV after 4 turns compared to the alloy not subjected to HPT (280 HV). The HPT samples demonstrated higher Ecorr and lower Icorr values, indicating improved corrosion resistance in phosphate-buffered saline. In vitro cell studies revealed that HPT did significantly affect the viability and growth of osteoblasts on the TNTZ alloy. Taken together, these results establish HPT as a promising processing route for enhancing the biomedical performance of TNTZ toward developing high-performance bone implants.