Effects of Sn content on thermal stability and mechanical properties of the Ti60Zr10Ta15Si15 amorphous alloy for biomedical use

• (Ti60Zr10Ta15Si15)100−xSnx(x = 0–8 at.%) glassy ribbons were successfully prepared.
• The Sn additions decrease the glass-forming ability of the Ti60Zr10Ta15Si15 alloy.
• The Sn additions increase the elastic modulus and nanohardness of the alloy.

The (Ti60Zr10Ta15Si15)100−xSnx (x = 0, 4, 8, 12 at.%) amorphous ribbons were prepared by the single roll melt-spinning method, and the effects of the Sn content on the thermal stability, the elastic modulus and nanohardness of the Ni-free Ti-based alloys were investigated. It is found that Sn additions decrease the glass formation ability of the Ti60Zr10Ta15Si15 alloy. The content of Sn addition has an important impact on the elastic modulus and nanohardness of the alloys. The amorphous alloy with 4% Sn addition exhibits the highest the elastic modulus and nanohardness, which are 111 GPa and 7.0 GPa, respectively. The correlation between the mechanical properties and Sn content was discussed based on the free volume containing in the as-spun ribbons.