A promising of alloying modified beta-type Titanium-Niobium implant for biomedical applications: Microstructural characteristics, in vitro biocompatibility and antibacterial performance

In this study, different concentrations of Ag were added to Ti-27.5Nb (wt.%) alloy and the microstructural characteristics were analyzed by optical microscope, electron microscope and X-ray diffraction. Moreover, the cell cytotoxicity assay and antibacterial test were performed according to the ISO 10993-5 and JIS Z2801:2010 specifications, respectively. The analytical results indicated that the microstructure of the Ag-containing Ti-27.5Nb samples are comprised (β + α′′ + ω + Ag-rich compound) phases. The microhardness of the investigated samples decreased with increasing the Ag contents. For wettability evaluation, all investigated samples were found to possess the hydrophilicity surface. Furthermore, the Ag-containing samples did not influence the cells adhesion and proliferation behaviors of MG-63 and NIH-3T3 cells. As the Ti-27.5Nb alloy had a Ag content of ∼0.7 wt%, it had spurious antibacterial performance regarding both Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli with an antibacterial rate value of nearly 100%. Therefore, the Ag-containing Ti-27.5Nb alloy can be developed as a promising antimicrobial biomedical implant.