A Novel Metastable β-Titanium Alloy with Enhanced Multifunctional Performance for Biomedical Implants Fabricated by Laser Powder Bed Fusion

The development of novel titanium implant materials with enhanced wear and corrosion resistance and a low elastic modulus is fundamental nowadays. In this work, the microstructure, wear resistance, corrosion behavior, and biocompatibility of Ti-14Nb-6Zr-3Fe (wt%) alloys fabricated by laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) with two different scanning strategies (None scan (NS) and Chess scan (CS)) were systematically investigated. Both samples consisted of a β phase matrix with nanoscale ω precipitates. Due to the higher and more homogeneous temperature field during LPBF, more ω phase precipitation in the CS sample resulted in higher hardness (4.06 GPa) and elastic modulus (75.5 GPa). In simulated body fluid (SBF), both NS and CS samples showed better wear resistance than Ti-6Al-4V, with the CS sample achieving a 24% lower wear rate. The CS sample also demonstrated improved corrosion resistance, with a corrosion current density of 0.98 μA·cm² and a polarization resistance of 81.52 kΩ·cm². Moreover, both CS and NS samples supported greater cell adhesion and proliferation compared to Ti-6Al-4V, confirming their good biocompatibility. These results highlight that the Ti-14Nb-6Zr-3Fe alloy possesses a lower elastic modulus, better wear resistance, enhanced corrosion resistance, and biocompatibility compared to commercial Ti-6Al-4V, emphasizing its potential as a candidate for biomedical implants.