Using Cu as a Spacer to Fabricate and Control the Porosity of Titanium Zirconium Based Bulk Metallic Glass Foams for Orthopedic Implant Applications.

Pei-Chun Wong,Sin-Mao Song,Wei-Ru Wang,Muhammad Jauharul Maqnun,Shian-Ching (Jason) Jang,Jia-Lin Wu,Pei-Hua Tsai

doi:10.3390/ma15051887

Abstract

In this study, a porous titanium zirconium (TiZr)-based bulk metallic foam was successfully fabricated using the Cu spacer by employing the hot press method. TiZr-based bulk metallic foams with porosities ranging from 0% to 50% were fabricated and analyzed. The results indicate that thermal conductivity increased with the addition of Cu spacer; the increased thermal conductivity reduced the holding time in the hot press method. Moreover, the compressive strength decreased from 1261 to 76 MPa when the porosity of the TiZr-based bulk metallic foam increased to 50%, and the compressive strength was predictable. In addition, the foam demonstrated favorable biocompatibility in cell viability, cell migration capacity, and calcium deposition tests. Moreover, the pore size of the porous TiZr-based bulk metallic foam was around 120 µm. In conclusion, TiZr-based bulk metallic foam has favorable biocompatibility, mechanical property controllability, and porous structure for bone ingrowth and subsequent enhanced osteointegration. This porous TiZr-based bulk metallic foam has great potential as an orthopedic implant to enhance bone healing and decrease healing time.

Highlights

Metallic materials are usually used in orthopedic implants such as bone screws and plates, artificial joints, and spinal fusion devices
Porous metallic materials have been used as an orthopedic scaffold to improve biological fixation because bone ingrowth can occur around the porous surface in the porous metallic scaffold [5]
We examined and compared the thermal conductivity, glass-forming ability, density, porosity, microstructure, surface morphology, mechanical properties, corrosion behavior, and biocompatibility of bulk metallic glass (BMG) foams fabricated using different volume fractions of Cu particles

Summary

Introduction

Metallic materials are usually used in orthopedic implants such as bone screws and plates, artificial joints, and spinal fusion devices. To achieve the biological fixation of orthopedic implants with the bone, surface coating, surface modification, and bone cement have been employed in the manufacturing of orthopedic implants to improve bone–implant healing [1–3]. The ingrowth of osteoblasts into an implant could improve the integration of the implant into the bone [4]. Porous metallic materials have been used as an orthopedic scaffold to improve biological fixation because bone ingrowth can occur around the porous surface in the porous metallic scaffold [5]. An ideal porous metallic material should have the following characteristics: (1) satisfactory biocompatibility, (2) osteoconductive and osteoinductive abilities for improving bone healing, (3) adequate mechanical properties for structural support and load bearing,

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Conclusion