Page 149 - MSAM-4-3

Materials Science in

Additive Manufacturing

ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Microstructural evolution and mechanical

properties of laser-powder bed fusion-fabricated
Ti-10Ta-2Nb-2Zr alloy as a potential orthopedic

implant material

Igor Polozov* , Victoria Nefyodova , Anton Zolotarev , and
Anatoly Popovich

Scientific and Educational Center, Structural and Functional Materials, Institute of Mechanical
Engineering, Materials, and Transport, Peter the Great Saint Petersburg Polytechnic University, Saint
Petersburg, Russia
(This article belongs to the Special Issue: Advances in Tailoring of Microstructure, Materials, and
Design with Additive Manufacturing)

Abstract

Titanium alloys are gaining attention for their potential to improve implant
performance in biomedical applications. This study investigates the Ti-10Ta-2Nb-
*Corresponding author: 2Zr alloy fabricated using laser-powder bed fusion (L-PBF) for potential biomedical
Igor Polozov
(polozov_ia@spbstu.ru) applications. The research aims to examine the influence of processing parameters
on material structure and properties, and to develop porous structures based on
Citation: Polozov I, Nefyodova V,
Zolotarev A, Popovich A. triply periodic minimal surfaces (TPMS) to reduce elastic modulus and improve
Microstructural evolution and mechanical compatibility with bone tissue. Spherical Ti-10Ta-2Nb-2Zr powder
mechanical properties of laser- was processed using L-PBF with varying laser power (250 – 280 W), scanning
powder bed fusion-fabricated
Ti-10Ta-2Nb-2Zr alloy as a speed (500 – 1000 mm/s), and hatch spacing (80 – 100 μm). Maximum relative
3
potential orthopedic implant density of 99.91% was achieved at volumetric energy density of 70 J/mm .
material. Mater Sci Add Manuf. Differential scanning calorimetry revealed the β-transus temperature at 862°C.
2025;4(3):025220044.
doi: 10.36922/MSAM025220044 Microstructural analysis showed the formation of martensitic α’-phase in the
as-built condition with acicular morphology. Heat treatment at 900°C resulted in
Received: May 30, 2025 the formation of a lamellar α + β structure. Mechanical properties in the as-built
Revised: July 7, 2025 condition were characterized by yield strength of 551.8 MPa, ultimate tensile
Accepted: July 9, 2025 strength of 641.2 MPa, elongation of 19.0%, and elastic modulus of 89.0 GPa. After
heat treatment, strength characteristics decreased by 15 – 18%, whereas elastic
Published online: August 12, 2025 modulus reduced to 86.0 GPa. TPMS porous structures (gyroid, Schwarz, and split)
Copyright: © 2025 Author(s). with 50% porosity demonstrated an elastic modulus of 9.2 – 9.7 GPa, representing
This is an Open-Access article approximately 18% of the solid material value. These results demonstrate the
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution potential of Ti-10Ta-2Nb-2Zr as a promising alternative to conventional Ti-6Al-4V
License, permitting distribution, for orthopedic applications, offering enhanced mechanical properties and
and reproduction in any medium, reduced stress shielding due to its lower elastic modulus and tailored porous
provided the original work is
properly cited. architectures.
Publisher’s Note: AccScience
Publishing remains neutral with Keywords: Titanium alloy; Laser powder bed fusion; Biomaterials; Triply periodic minimal
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional surfaces; Mechanical properties; Microstructure
affiliations.

Volume 4 Issue 3 (2025) 1 doi: 10.36922/MSAM025220044