Microstructure, Mechanical Properties, and Corrosion Resistance of Ti-Cu Alloys Prepared by Electroless Copper Plating and Hot Pressing Sintering

In order to obtain antibacterial titanium alloy with uniform microstructure, high strength, and low modulus, Ti-Cu alloys were prepared by electroless copper plating coupled with hot pressing sintering in this paper. The Cu contents in the Ti-Cu alloys can be precisely controlled by the concentrations of copper sulfate in the plating solution and the number of electroless plating times. After electroless copper plating, the Ti particles are evenly wrapped by Cu, forming a typical core-shell structure. The sintered Ti-Cu alloys are mainly composed of alpha-Ti and Ti2Cu phases, and the volume fraction of the Ti2Cu phase gradually increases with increasing the Cu contents. The Ti2Cu phase can be uniformly dispersed in the Ti matrix, and its morphology changes from rod-like to block-like structure with increasing the Cu contents. The Ti-Cu alloys possess high compressive strength (> 1500 MPa) and yield strength (> 950 MPa), as well as low elastic modulus (16-20 GPa), very close to the natural cortical bone. Moreover, the Ti-Cu alloys also have excellent corrosion resistance in SBF solution. This study provides a novel preparation method for antibacterial biomedical metallic materials.