Powder injection molding of HA/Ti6Al4V composite using palm stearin as based binder for implant material

Titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V) and hydroxyapatite (HA) are well-known materials applied in implants. Ti6Al4V shows good mechanical properties and corrosion resistance, whereas HA possesses excellent biocompatibility and bioactivity but weak mechanical properties. The combination of the Ti6Al4V and HA properties is expected to produce a superior material for bio-implants. This study aimed to analyze the feasibility of fabricating HA/Ti6Al4V composites through powder injection molding (PIM) using palm stearin as base binder. In this study, 90 wt% Ti6Al4V and 10 wt% HA were mixed with the palm stearin and polyethylene binder system. The HA/Ti6Al4V feedstock showed pseudoplastic properties, suggesting its suitability for PIM. Flexural test revealed that the strength of the sintered composite ranges from 67.12 MPa to 112.97 MPa and its Young's modulus ranges from 39.28 GPa to 44.25 GPa. The X-ray diffraction patterns and energy-dispersive X-ray spectra of the composite showed that the HA decomposed and formed secondary phases. Isotropic porous structure was observed on the sintered sample because of HA decomposition. Results showed that the palm stearin can be used as based binder in fabricating HA/Ti6Al4V composites via PIM. The mechanical properties of the sintered composites are nearly similar to those of the human bone. In addition, the increase in weight of the sintered composite during in vitro tests indicated the nucleation and growth of the Ca-P phase, which exhibited the biocompatibility of the fabricated HA/Ti6Al4V composite. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.