Designing a toxic-element-free Ti-based amorphous alloy with remarkable supercooled liquid region for biomedical application

A series of toxic-element-free Ti–Zr–Ta–Si amorphous alloy ribbons have been successfully prepared by melt-spinning. The differential scanning carlorimetry (DSC), X-ray diffraction analysis, bending test and microhardness test are conducted for studying the thermal and mechanical properties. The results show that the Ti42Zr40Ta3Si15 metallic glass ribbon present excellent ductile behavior by the bending testing, without any fracture cracking after bending over 180 degree. In addition, this amorphous alloy possesses a very high glass transition and crystallization temperature of 799 and 898 K, respectively, as well as a very wide supercooled liquid region of 99 K. This amorphous alloy exhibits promising thermal stability during isothermal annealing at the middle temperature of its supercooled region, with more than 3000 s incubation time for isothermal annealing at 823 K (550 °C). This amorphous alloy also shows much lower value of corrosion current density (2.27 × 10−9 A/m2) than the 304 stainless steel in the 0.3 mass% sodium cloride solutions. This Ti42Zr40Ta3Si15 alloy is believed to be a promising based alloy for fabricating the bulk metallic glass foam by the spacer technique in the application of biomedical implants. •Current Ti42Zr40Ta3Si15 amorphous alloy possesses lower liquidus temperature of 1455 °C.•This toxic element-free amorphous alloy possesses a very wide SCL temperature region of 99 K.•This amorphous alloy exhibits promising thermal stability for isothermal annealing at its SCL region.•Current amorphous alloy exhibits much better corrosion resistance than 304 SS.