Microstructural, mechanical and citotoxicity evaluation of different NiTi and NiTiCu shape memory alloys

Transformation temperatures and mechanical properties such as transformation stresses at different temperatures and the superelasticity have been investigated in NiTiCu alloys with various Copper concentrations. The results have been compared with the conventional NiTi alloys. The addition of copper was effective to narrow the stress hysteresis and to stabilize the superelasticity characteristics. Moreover, it produced greater stability on both the transformation temperatures and the forces applied to the different tissues. However, the studies of cell cultured with human fibroblasts showed certain toxicity. (C) 2004 Kluwer Academic Publishers.