Investigation of the nuclear radiation parameters of some Ti alloys for biomedical applications

Abstract

This study investigates the nuclear radiation parameters of selected Ti alloys with potential biomedical applications. The compatibility with nuclear radiation is essential for these alloys in biomedical applications. To understand the nuclear radiation compatibility for this selected alloy, the gamma rays, neutrons, and charged particle interaction parameters were estimated using EpiXS, NGCal, ESTAR, and SRIM. The gamma rays, neutrons, and charged particle interaction parameters of selected Ti alloys relative to the cortical bone were studied. The Zeff of selected alloys relative to the cortical bone reaches unity in the lower photon energy region. Similar values of energy absorption buildup factor for selected alloys and cortical bone when the gamma energy region lies between 200 keV and 3 MeV. For neutron interaction at incident energy of thermal neutron at 25.4 meV and fast neutron 4 MeV, significant differences exist between selected alloys and cortical bone. From the estimated data, it is observed that among selected alloys, Ti-6Al-4V and Ti-6Al-4V-2.5Cu are comparable with cortical bone in terms of gamma rays and charged particle interactions. The results indicate that Ti-6Al-4V and Ti-6Al-4V-2.5Cu are the most suitable alloys for biomedical applications such as knee, hip, and elbow joints.