Experimental Study of the Electrochemical and Biological Properties of (Nb-1%Zr-xGe) Alloy for Biomedical Applications

Abstract

Because of its relatively inert and unreactive surface, niobium seems to be especially attractive metal for use as a biomaterial. Mechanical property constraints, on the other hand, have limited the material's usage in this field. In terms of processing, microstructure, and mechanical characteristics, the (Nb-1 percent Zr) alloy is one of the most adaptable materials. Because of their features, such as reduced modulus of elasticity, excellent biocompatibility, and superior corrosion resistant than other alloys, these alloys have been frequently employed in biomedical applications, mostly substituting rigid textiles. This research focuses on recent discoveries in low modulus (Nb-1 percent Zr) based alloys with varied (0.5-6) wt. percent germanium additions for biomedical applications. Alloys were made in a steel mold using a powder metallurgy process, then sintered at 1200 degree centigrade for 6 hours. X-ray diffraction and mechanical characteristics such as wear, elastic modulus, compression, and Brinell hardness were utilized to examine the influence of germanium alloy additions. It has been discovered that increasing the germanium concentration increases porosity. Increased amount of germanium particles, on the other hand, enhances wear resistant, compressive strength, and micro-hardness. With applying additional loads for all alloying components concentration in germanium, the wear resistant reduced. The findings suggest that the alloy containing (0.5-6) wt. percent germanium particles has comparatively good mechanical and wear characteristics when compared to the base alloy, and it might be regarded acceptable for biomaterials applications due to its strong corrosion resistance.