Structure and properties of biomedical Co–Cr–Ti alloys

In this work 12 dental Co–Cr casting alloys containing titanium in the range of 4–12 wt.% have been studied. Optical and SEM microscopy show that all samples have similar two phases dendritic microstructure. By means of X-ray diffraction two phases of similar compositions were identified as fcc and hcp Co-rich solid solutions. Hardness measurement reveals that hardness increases with titanium content and the percentage of hardener phase. The corrosion resistance of most as-cast alloys is prominent thanks to the presence of titanium. According to the microstructure, the corrosion resistance and the criterion that the hardness should be close to that of commercial Co–Cr base dental alloys, samples 3–5 can be excellent candidates for biomedical applications.