Design and characterization of (TiZr)95-xHfxMo5 multi-principal element alloys with excellent properties for biomedical applications

Developing new bio-metallic materials with improved performance has attracted intensive research focus over the last decades. In the present work, a new series of (TiZr)95-xHfxMo5 (x = 0, 10, 15, 20, 25, 31.67) multi-principal elements alloys (MPEAs) have been designed for potential implant materials. The mechanical properties, deformation characteristics, tribological properties, corrosion resistance, and in vitro biocompatibility of the MPEAs were characterized. All the TiZrHfMo alloys possess a high yield strength (913–––1083 MPa) and tensile strength (931–––1118 MPa) and a large microhardness (296–––333 Hv). The addition of Hf into the alloys induced severe lattice distortion, which increased the solid-solution strengthening effect. It also resulted in a finer grain size and led to excellent wear resistance. Meanwhile, the results showed that the dislocation glide mode transformed from planar slip to cross-slip and the transformation became apparent with the decrease of Hf. Also, the MPEAs showed a good corrosion resistance compared to CP-Ti, which was credited to the superior passivation films. The in vitro biocompatibility experiments displayed that the TiZrHfMo alloys exhibited high cell viability ratios, which were close to that of CP-Ti. The present work demonstrates the huge potential of TiZrHfMo MPEAs as implant material for biomedical applications.