Adjustment of the microstructure and selected mechanical properties of biomedical Ti-15Zr-Mo alloys through oxygen doping

This study investigated the effect of oxygen doping on the crystalline structure, microstructure, and selected mechanical properties (Vickers microhardness, Young's modulus and internal friction) of Ti-15Zr-xMo (x = 5, 7.5, 10, 15 and 20 wt%) alloys for use as biomaterials. The monitoring of oxygen pressure along with the doping treatment indicated that the interstitial element was successfully absorbed into the samples. Results showed that oxygen content slightly altered the α”/β phase proportion and β phase crystalline parameter without abruptly changing their microstructure. Moreover, the selected mechanical properties suffered variations in a non-linear manner. Oxygen content was found to be suitable to produce small variations in the microstructure and in the selected properties of biomedical Ti alloys, keeping the main composition unchanged.