Investigating the effect of select alloying elements in additively manufactured Co-Cr alloy for dental prosthetics

Abstract

Despite the significant advancements in additive manufacturing and its exploration of functionally graded materials (FGMs), the specific roles of W and Mo in enhancing the tribological and corrosion properties of Co-Cr alloys have remained largely underexplored, particularly in the context of dental applications. To address this, CoCrW and CoCrMo alloys were fabricated using the Laser Powder Directed Energy Deposition (LP-DED) process and subjected to a comprehensive suite of microstructural analyses, and tribological behavior followed by corrosion resistance characteristics in an artificial saliva environment. Results revealed that the inclusion of Mo contributes to finer grain sizes, increased hardness and HCP phase stabilization, thus enhancing the wear resistance. Conversely, W's presence in CoCr alloys was found to bolster corrosion resistance which confirms that a synergistic approach of novel alloy development combining W and Mo can be impactful to enhance the overall performance of Co-Cr alloy-based parts. Based on author’s knowledge, this is the first time the effect of W and Mo on additively manufactured Co-Cr alloy has been presented in a comprehensive way combining manufacturing, materials characterization and performance analyses in a context of application in dental prosthetics.