The Structural Properties of a New As-cast (Ti55Zr25Nb10Ta10)99.3Ag0.7 Alloy for Biomedical Applications

To achieve an implant with significant plasticity, acceptable strength, high corrosion resistance, and excellent biocompatibility, the as-cast [(Ti 55 Zr 25 Nb 10 Ta 10 ) 99.3 Ag 0.7 , at.%, named TZNT-Ag 0.7 ] alloy is designed and fabricated. In this study, the strategy of composition's choice is considered by the alloy design method of the d -electron along with ( e / a ) ratio and [Mo] eq criteria. After fabrication of the alloy using the vacuum arc melting method, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, mechanical compression, nanoindentation, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) were used to characterize the microstructure, mechanical properties, and corrosion behavior of the TZNT-Ag 0.7 alloy. Moreover, to evaluate the cytocompatibility, MG-63 osteoblastic cell was cultured on the surface as-cast specimens of TZNT-Ag 0.7 . The results show that the as-cast TZNT-Ag 0.7 alloy reveals not only dendritic morphology but also the beta phase with a lattice parameter of 0.33741 nm in the microstructure of the alloy after casting. TZNT-Ag 0.7 alloy mechanically shows the true maximum strength of 832 MPa, significant true plasticity of 140%, and the compressive yield stress to elastic modulus ( Y cys / E ) ratio of 1.05%. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) results demonstrate TZNT-Ag 0.7 alloy has a higher corrosion resistance than commercially pure Ti (CP-Ti). On the other hand, after 5 days of in vitro culture, MG-63 cells proliferate on specimens and demonstrate substantial differences in cell differentiation as compared to CP-Ti. These results display that the TZNT-Ag 0.7 alloy could be considered as prospective orthopedic applications. Graphic Abstract