Microstructural characterization and enhanced hardness, wear and antibacterial properties of a powder metallurgy SiC/Ti-Cu nanocomposite as a potential material for biomedical applications

摘要

In this study, SiC/Ti-Cu nanocomposite was fabricated by mechanical alloying and sintering process. Effects of SiC nano-reinforcement on phase transformation, microstructure and tribological and antibacterial properties Ti-Cu intermetallic alloy were studied. The microstructure of the powders and sintered materials was investigated using X-ray diffraction, and scanning/transmission electron microscopy. The results exhibited the formation of major TiCu and TiCu4, and minor Ti2Cu and Ti2Cu3 nanocrystalline phases in the sintered Ti-Cu and SiC/Ti-Cu samples. With the addition of the nanoparticles, the amount of TiCu4 phase increased. Reinforcing Ti-Cu intermetallic alloy by SiC nanoparticles resulted in a considerable improvement in antibacterial activity, hardness, wear resistance, and reduction in friction coefficient. The excellent wear resistance of SiC/Ti-Cu nanocomposite is attributed to the formation of hard TiCu and TiCu4 phases with a homogeneous distribution of the phases in the nanocomposite as a result of SiC addition.