title: Biocompatible Ni-free Zr-based bulk metallic glasses with high-Zr-content: compositional optimization for potential biomedical applications.
abstract: The present study designs and prepares Ni-free Zr60+xTi2.5Al10Fe12.5-xCu10Ag5 (at.%, x=0, 2.5, 5) bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) by copper mold casting for potential biomedical application. The effects of Zr content on the in vitro biocompatibility of the Zr-based BMGs are evaluated by investigating mechanical properties, bio-corrosion behavior, and cellular responses. It is found that increasing the content of Zr is favorable for the mechanical compatibility with a combination of low Young's modulus, large plasticity, and high notch toughness. Electrochemical measurements demonstrate that the Zr-based BMGs are corrosion resistant in a phosphate buffered saline solution. The bio-corrosion resistance of BMGs is improved with the increase in Zr content, which is attributed to the enrichment in Zr and decrease in Al concentration in the surface passive film of alloys. Regular cell responses of mouse MC3T3-E1 cells, including cell adhesion and proliferation, are observed on the Zr-Ti-Al-Fe-Cu-Ag BMGs, which reveals their general biosafety. The high-Zr-based BMGs exhibit a higher cell proliferation activity in comparison with that of pure Zr and Ti-6Al-4V alloy. The effects of Zr content on the in vitro biocompatibility can be used to guide the future design of biocompatible Zr-based BMGs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Fujian University of Technology, 350118 Fuzhou, China; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, 350116 Fuzhou, China. Electronic address: flower1982cn@126.com.
authors.forename: Nengbin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hua
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-2100, USA.
authors.forename: Lu
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Fujian University of Technology, 350118 Fuzhou, China; Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Fuzhou University, 350116 Fuzhou, China.
authors.forename: Wenzhe
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.affiliation: Department of Materials Science and Engineering, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-2100, USA; Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Biomedical Engineering, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN 37996-2200, USA.
authors.forename: Wei
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: He
authors.affiliation: Key Laboratory of Aerospace Materials and Performance (Ministry of Education), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beihang University, 100191 Beijing, China.
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhang
mesh_terms: D016475:3T3 Cells; D000497:Alloys / Q000737:chemistry; D000818:Animals; D001672:Biocompatible Materials / Q000737:chemistry*; D020811:Biomedical Technology / Q000379:methods*; D002448:Cell Adhesion / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D003300:Copper / Q000737:chemistry; D003343:Corrosion; D055119:Elastic Modulus; D005898:Glass / Q000737:chemistry*; D051379:Mice; D014025:Titanium; D015040:Zirconium / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000497:Alloys; D001672:Biocompatible Materials; C031462:titanium alloy (TiAl6V4); D003300:Copper; D015040:Zirconium; D014025:Titanium
keywords: Bio-corrosion; Bulk metallic glass; Cellular response; Toughness; Zr-based alloy