Simultaneous enhancement of strength and ductility of biomedical β-type Ti-35Nb-9Zr-7Sn alloy through oxygen-driven local chemical ordering and grain boundary nanolayers
Abstract
β-Ti alloys have garnered significant interest in biomedical applications owing to their excellent mechanical properties and biocompatibility. However, simultaneously improving yield strength and ductility remains a persistent challenge, limiting their wider applications. Herein, we introduce just 0.3 wt.% interstitial oxygen atoms into a β-type Ti-35Nb-9Zr-7Sn alloy, inducing local chemical ordering (LCO) and face centered cubic (FCC) nanolayers at grain boundaries, which markedly enhance both yield strength and elongation in as-homogenized and as-rolled specimens. By converting planar dislocation slip into wavy slip, the intragranular LCO structure facilitates double cross-slip and dislocation multiplication, which collectively enhance strain-hardening behavior. Meanwhile, the interstitial oxygen-driven FCC phase nanolayers promote dislocation slip across grain boundaries, further improving ductility. This oxygen driven strategy overcomes the traditional strength-ductility trade off and offers a promising route for designing next generation load bearing biomedical β-Ti alloys.
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
1-1-2026
Volume
304
Publication Title
Acta Materialia
Publisher
Elsevier
School
Centre for Advanced Materials and Manufacturing / School of Engineering
Funders
National Natural Science Foundation of China (52101174) / Edith Cowan University (23965)
Copyright
subscription content
Comments
Liu, P., Zhang, H., Yang, F., Wang, Z., Wang, A., Xie, J., Yuan, Y., & Zhang, L. (2025). Simultaneous enhancement of strength and ductility of biomedical β-type Ti-35Nb-9Zr-7Sn alloy through oxygen-driven local chemical ordering and grain boundary nanolayers. Acta Materialia, 304, 121812. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actamat.2025.121812