Al-Si-Zr Alloy Based Material For Biomedical Application

Abstract

Biomedical application has a wide range of materials including polymers, metal alloys, ceramics etc. Scaffolding for tissue regeneration and replacement, biocompatible materials are emerging as innovative branch of new materials field. The necessity to substitute hard tissue devices like bone is growing lately and hence there is a need to develop new generation biocompatible materials. The study of new alloys with properties such as biocompatibility, good mechanical properties and corrosion resistance is a prospective R&D work. Presently, three categories of implant alloys are well known. Mainly they are: stainless steels, cobalt-based and titanium-based alloys, which are used for skeletal implants. Titanium and its alloys are dominating in this field. For implants of different sizes and shapes when skeletal parts are concerned, light and cheap casting alloys are preferred. But titanium is a costly material and its castbility is limited due to its high melting temperature. Therefore, alloys which are cheap, castable, bioinert and have mechanical properties close to that of bone are in demand. In the present project composite material, based on Al-Si-Zr alloys will be developed and tested for bio-medical applications. The mechanical properties of the alloy systems will be tailored by addition of zirconium. The corrosion resistance and desired bio-compatibility will be developed by heat treatment and special surface layer will be grown on the casting surface. That is expected to result in a composite material with a layer of bioinert mixed alumina/zirconia. The surface obtained should be ideal for a metal-tissue interface.