Laser processing effects on Ti−45Nb alloy surface,corrosive and biocompatible properties

The Ti−45Nb(wt.%)alloy properties were investigated in relation to its potential biomedical use.Laser surface modification was utilized to improve its performance in biological systems.As a result of the laser treatment,(Ti,Nb)O scale was formed and various morphological features appeared on the alloy surface.The electrochemical behavior of Ti−45Nb alloy in simulated body conditions was evaluated and showed that the alloy was highly resistant to corrosion deterioration regardless of additional laser surface modification treatment.Nevertheless,the improved corrosion resistance after laser treatment was evident(the corrosion current density of the alloy before laser irradiation was 2.84×10^(−8)A/cm^(2),while that after laser treatment with 5 mJ was 0.65×10^(−8)A/cm^(2))and ascribed to the rapid formation of a complex and passivating bi-modal surface oxide layer.Alloy cytotoxicity and effects of the Ti−45Nb alloy laser surface modification on the MRC-5 cell viability,morphology,and proliferation were also investigated.The Ti−45Nb alloy showed no cytotoxic effect.Moreover,cells showed improved viability and adherence to the alloy surface after the laser irradiation treatment.The highest average cell viability of 115.37%was attained for the alloy laser-irradiated with 15 mJ.Results showed that the laser surface modification can be successfully utilized to significantly improve alloy performance in a biological environment.

Deformation-induced α_2/γ Interfaces in a Hot-deformed Ti-45Al-10Nb Alloy

The structure change of α2/γ interface in a Ti-45Al-10Nb alloy induced by hot deformation was investigated by conventional and high-resolution transmission eIectron microscopy. Two types of hot deformation induced special α2/γ intedeces, coherent intedeces with high density of ledges and semi-coherent α2/γ intedeces were found to be due to the absorption of mobile dislocations into the α2/γ inteface. For the misoriented semi-coherent α2/γ interfaces, the densities of dislocation ledges increase with the misoriented angle between (111)γ and (0001)α2 planes, and 1/3[111] Frank partial dislocations were involved in the dislocation ledges. Formation mechanism of these deformation-induced α2/γ interfaces was discussed to be related to the role of α2/γ interface5 adjusting the deformation as a dislocation sink absorbing the slipping dislocations in the γ phase

Accelerated fracture healing by osteogenic Ti45Nb implants through the PI3K–Akt signaling pathway

The key to managing fracture is to achieve stable internal fixation,and currently,biologically and mechanically appropriate internal fixation devices are urgently needed.With excellent biocompatibility and corrosion resistance,titanium–niobium alloys have the potential to become a new generation of internal fixation materials for fractures.However,the role and mechanism of titanium–niobium alloys on promoting fracture healing are still undefined.Therefore,in this study,we systematically evaluated the bone-enabling properties of Ti45Nb via in vivo and in vitro experiments.In vitro,we found that Ti45Nb has an excellent ability to promote MC3T3-E1 cell adhesion and proliferation without obvious cytotoxicity.Alkaline phosphatase(ALP)activity and alizarin red staining and semiquantitative analysis showed that Ti45Nb enhanced the osteogenic differentiation of MC3T3-E1 cells compared to the Ti6Al4V control.In the polymerase chain reaction experiment,the expression of osteogenic genes in the Ti45Nb group,such as ALP,osteopontin(OPN),osteocalcin(OCN),type 1 collagen(Col-1)and runt-related transcription factor-2(Runx2),was significantly higher than that in the control group.Meanwhile,in the western blot experiment,the expression of osteogenic-related proteins in the Ti45Nb group was significantly increased,and the expression of PI3K–Akt-related proteins was also higher,which indicated that Ti45Nb might promote fracture healing by activating the PI3K–Akt signaling pathway.In vivo,we found that Ti45Nb implants accelerated fracture healing compared to Ti6Al4V,and the biosafety of Ti45Nb was confirmed by histological evaluation.Furthermore,immunohistochemical staining confirmed that Ti45Nb may promote osteogenesis by upregulating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway.Our study demonstrated that Ti45Nb exerts an excellent ability to promote fracture healing as well as enhance osteoblast differentiation by activating the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway,and its good biosafety has been confirmed,which indicates its clinical translation potential.

DEFORMATION STRUCTURES IN A Ti45Al 10Nb ALLOY AT ROOM TEMPERATURE

Dislocation structures in the γ phase grains of Ti 45Al 10Nb specimens have been characterized after tensile tests at room temperature. In addition to ordinary dislocations with b=1/2〈110], a certain density of superdislocations and faulted dipoles were observed, which are rarely present in the conventional two phase TiAl base alloys of normal impurity. This difference was attributed to the solution of high Nb in the γ phase, which may increase the CRSS for 〈110] ordinary slip.