Porous titanium with entangled structure filled with biodegradable magnesium for potential biomedical applications

• A new approach to fabrication of Mg–Ti composites
• The novel architectured two phase composite was developed.
• The Ti phase in the composite is continuous.
• The Mg phase is also interconnected.
• Its elastic properties match very well with that of the cortical bone.

A kind of Ti–Mg composite was prepared by infiltrating the biodegradable magnesium melt into the porous titanium (p-Ti) with entangled structure. The microstructure and the mechanical properties of the composites were investigated by using the metallographic technique and the compressive testing method. The novelty in the elastic property was discussed based on the experimental results and the referenced data. It was found that as the Ti volume fractions increased from 37.1% to 53.6%, the compressive plateau stress of the p-Ti/Mg composites increased from 175 MPa to 246 MPa, but the Young's modulus decreased from 47 GPa to 22 GPa. When the magnesium matrix was strengthened by adding 0.5 wt.% Zr, the plateau stress and the Young's modulus of the p-Ti/Mg(Zr) composites were reasonably enhanced. The stiffness of the p-Ti/Mg composites is comparable to that of the cortical bone, suggesting their considerable potentials for the load-bearing orthopedic applications.