Alkali-heat treatment of a low modulus biomedical Ti-27Nb alloy.

This study focuses on the surface modification of a near beta-type Ti-27 wt.% Nb alloy by alkali-heat treatment. The influence of alkali concentration, alkali-treated time and alkali-treated temperature on the microstructure and constitutional phases of the modified surface is investigated by SEM, XRD and ICP. Immersion experiments in a simulated body fluid (SBF) were carried out to examine the Ca-P phase forming ability of the modified surfaces. The SEM observation and XRD analysis revealed that a sodium titanate layer is formed after alkali-heat treatment. The morphology and Ca-P phase forming of the layer are greatly affected by the surface roughness of the samples, the alkali concentration, the alkali-treated time and alkali-treated temperature. The results of SBF immersion, which are obtained by ICP analysis, indicate that the activated sodium titanate layer prepared by alkali-heat treatment is beneficial to further improving the biocompatibility of the Ti-27 wt.% Nb alloy.