Photo-induced characteristics of a Ti–Nb–Sn biometallic alloy with low Young's modulus

Anodic oxidation was conducted to Ti–Nb–Sn biometallic alloy for the purpose of giving photo-induced properties without losing the low Young's modulus of the alloy. The anodic oxide consists of primary TiO2 with small amounts of Nb2O5 and SnO. Rutile-structured TiO2 prepared in an electrolyte solution containing 1.2 M sulfuric acid exhibits photocatalytic activity and superhydrophilicity under ultraviolet (UV) light illumination, and superhydrophilicity in the absence of UV light illumination. The Young's modulus of Ti–Nb–Sn alloy with anodic oxide demonstrates a low value of approximately 50 GPa, which expands its application of the alloy as biomedical materials by adding photocatalytic sterilization function.