In this study, the corrosion properties of Ti-6Mo-6V-5Cr-3Sn-2.5Zr alloy were investigated as a function of the cold rolling ratio and annealing temperature. The annealing treatment was carried out at temperature of 680°C, 730°C, and 780°C. The highest corrosion potential observed in the specimen with a 10% rolling ratio was 179 mV, which was more positive than that of the non-rolled specimen (–0.214 Vssc). The lowest corrosion current density (1.30×10–8 A/cm2) was observed in the non-rolled specimen which suggested that the integrity of its passive oxide layer was superior to that of the cold-rolled specimens. Time-dependent EIS evaluation revealed that the consistency of the passive oxide layer was highly affected by the subjected rolling ratio over time.

TiNi alloys have excellent shape memory properties and corrosion resistance as well as high biocompatibility. This study investigated the effects of copper addition on the phase transitions and electrochemical corrosion behaviors of Ti50Ni50-xCux alloys. TiNi, Ti50Ni47Cu3, Ti50Ni44Cu6, and Ti50Ni41Cu9 alloys were prepared using vacuum arc remelting followed by 4 h homogenization at 950°C. Differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction analyses were conducted. The corrosion behaviors of the alloys were evaluated using potentiodynamic polarization test in Hank’s balanced salt solution at a temperature of 36.5 ± 1°C. The TiNi alloy showed phase transitions from the cubic B2 phase to the monoclinic B19’ phase when the alloy was thermally cycled. The addition of copper to the TiNi alloy played a major role in stabilizing the orthorhombic B19 phases during the phase transitions of Ti50Ni50-xCux alloys. The shifts in the corrosion potential toward the positive zone and the low corrosion current density were affected by the amount of Cu added. The corrosion resistance of the TiNi alloy increased with increasing copper content.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanical properties of beta type aged Ti-4Mo-4Cr-X (X = V, Sn, Zr) quaternary alloy for use as a cardiovascular stent. Titanium (Ti) alloys were fabricated using a vacuum arc remelting furnace process. To homogenize the specimens of each composition and remove the micro segregation, all cast specimens were subjected to homogenization at 850℃ for 4 h, which was 100℃ higher than the β-transus temperature of 750℃. The tensile strength and elongation of the aged Ti-4Mo-4Cr-X (X = V, Sn, Zr) alloys were increased as compared to the homogenized alloys. In addition, many α/β interface boundaries formed after aging treatment at 450°C, which acted as inhibitors of strain and caused an increase in tensile strength. The elongation of Ti-4Mo-4Cr-X alloys consisting of α + β phases after aging treatment was improved by greater than 30%. Results of a potentiodynamic polarization test showed that the lowest current density of Ti-4Mo-4Cr-4Sn with 1.05 × 10–8 A/cm2 was obtained. The present Ti-4Mo-4Cr-X alloys showed better corrosion characteristics as compared to the 316L stainless steel and L605 (Co-Cr alloy) cardiovascular stent alloys.

This study investigates the microstructures and the mechanical properties of equiatomic Ti20Mo20Ta20Nb20V20 and non-equiatomic Ti40Mo15Ta15Nb15V15 and Ti60Mo10Ta10Nb10V10 HEAs using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, field emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), and micro-Vickers hardness test. The specimens were fabricated using the vacuum arc remelting (VAR) process and homogenized at a temperature of 1300°C for 4 h in a vacuum atmosphere. The determined thermodynamic parameters, Ω ≥ 1.1, δ ≤ 6.6%, and VEC < 6.87, suggested that the HEAs consisted of BCC solid solutions. XRD patterns of all the HEAs displayed single BCC phases. The difference in the solidification rate led to the micro-segregation associated with the elements Ta and Mo enriched in the dendrite arms and the elements V and Ti in the inter-dendritic regions. The HEA specimens showed a decrease in hardness with higher concentration of Ti element because the intrinsic hardness of Ti is lower as compared to the intrinsic hardness of Nb and Mo.

The low adherence of diamond-like carbon (DLC) films on titanium (Ti) alloys can be improved by using interlayer coatings. In this study, DLC (a-C:H) films were deposited using radio-frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (rf-PECVD), and a TiCN interlayer was applied between the extra low interstitial (ELI) grade of Ti-6Al-4V alloy and a-C:H film. The characteristics of the a-C:H-coated Ti-6Al-4V ELI alloy were investigated using field emission scanning electron microscopy, Vickers hardness, and scratch and wear tests. The DLC (a-C:H) films deposited by rf-PECVD had a thickness of 1.7 µm, and the TiCN interlayer had a thickness of 1.1 µm. Vickers hardness of the DLC (a-C:H) films were increased as a result of the influence of the TiCN interlayer. The resulting friction coefficient of the a-C:H-coated Ti-6Al-4V with the TiCN interlayer had an extremely low value of 0.07.

The present study investigated various thermodynamic parameters, microstructures and electrochemical behaviors of TiMoVCrZr and Ti-rich TiMoVCrZr high-entropy alloys (HEAs) prepared by vacuum arc remelting. The microstructures of the alloys were analyzed using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), and potentiodynamic polarization tests. The determined thermodynamic values of the Ω-parameter and the atomic size difference (δ) for the HEAs were determined to be in the range of Ω ≥ 1.1, and δ ≤ 6.6% with valance electron configuration (VEC) ≤ 5.0, suggesting the HEAs were effective at forming solid solutions. XRD patterns of the equiatomic Ti20Mo20V20Cr20Zr20 HEA revealed four phases consisting of the body centered cubic1 (BCC1), BCC2, hexagonal close-packed (HCP), and intermetallic compound Cr2Zr phases. Three phases were observed in the XRD patterns of Ti-rich Ti40Mo15V15Cr15Zr15 (BCC, HCP, and Cr2Zr) and a single BCC phase was observed in Ti-rich Ti60Mo10V10Cr10Zr10 HEAs. The backscattered-electron (BSE) images on the equiatomic Ti20Mo20V20Cr20Zr20 HEA revealed BCC and HCP phases with Cr2Zr precipitates, suggesting precipitation from the HCP solid solution during the cooling. The micro-segregation of Ti-rich Ti60Mo10V10Cr10Zr10 HEAs appeared to decrease remarkably. The alloying elements in the HEAs were locally present and no phase changes occurred even after additional HIP treatment. The lowest current density obtained in the polarization potential test of Ti-rich Ti40Mo15V15Cr15Zr15 HEA was 7.12×10–4 mA/cm2 was obtained. The studied TiMoVCrZr HEAs showed improved corrosion characteristics as compared to currently available joint replacement material such as ASTM F75 alloy.