Synthesis of Ti–Ta alloys with dual structure by incomplete diffusion between elemental powders

• Ti–Ta alloys with low modulus and high strength were fabricated by powder metallurgy.
• The incomplete diffusion between elemental powders leads to the formation of Ti-rich and Ta-rich zones.
• The existence of pores helps to reduce the elastic modulus as well as facilitates the attachment of osteoblast-like cells.
• Fine grain size, solid solution, and fine α phase account for the high tensile strength of the alloys.

In this work, powder metallurgical (PM) Ti–Ta alloys were sintered using blended elemental powders. A dual structure, consisting of Ti-rich and Ta-rich zones, was formed due to the insufficient diffusion between Ti and Ta powders. The microstructure, mechanical properties and in vitro biological properties of the alloys were studied. Results indicated that the alloys have inhomogenous microstructures and compositions, but the grain structures were continuous from the Ti-rich zone to the Ta-rich zone. The Ta-rich zone exhibited a much finer grain size than the Ti-rich zone. The alloys had a high relative density in the range of 95–98%, with the porosity increasing with the content of Ta due to the increased difficulty in sintering and the formation of Kirkendall pores. The alloys had a good combination of low elastic modulus and high tensile strength. The strength of alloys was almost doubled compared to that of the ingot metallurgy alloys with the same compositions. The low elastic modulus was due to the residual pores and the alloying effect of Ta, while the high tensile strength resulted from the strengthening effects of solid solution, fine grain size and α phase. The alloys had a high biocompatibility due to the addition of Ta, and were suitable for the attachment of cells due to the surface porosity. It was also indicated that PM Ti–(20–30)Ta alloys are promising for biomedical applications after the evaluations of both the mechanical and the biological properties.