Bimodal structured Ti-base alloy with large elasticity and low Young's modulus

A bimodal structured Ti60Cu14Ni12Sn4Nb10 alloy has been fabricated by different methods. The as-prepared microstructure is composed of a dendritic bcc-β-Ti(Nb,Sn) phase and a nano/ultrafine structured matrix. Except for β-Ti, γ-TiCu and a few intermetallics the matrix also contains the B2 structure, which acts as a parent phase for a reversible phase transformation around room temperature. Annealing induces precipitation of intermetallics, which significantly increases the yield strength and the Young's modulus, but does not change the reversible phase transformation. The alloy exhibits very high yield strength, large elasticity and low Young's modulus, providing an advantage for biomedical application. The reversible phase transformation provides potential applications as a smart material.