Production of Ti/HA Functionally Graded Material Implants Using Powder Metallurgy Technique for Reduction of the Effect of Chemical Pollution

Abstract

Nowadays, there is a growing need to use functionally gradient materials for use in biomedical applications. This requirement is particularly significant to the effect of implant application and gradient structure. The powder metallurgy technique was used in this study to fabricate titanium/hydroxyapatite and other FGM implants with the concentration changed gradually in the longitudinal direction of the cylindrical shape, to optimize both mechanical and biocompatibility properties or alter bio reactivity in each region. High-frequency induction heating, three-spark plasma sintering, and electric furnace heating techniques were implemented to sinter the materials. During the fabrication of titanium/hydroxyapatite functionally gradient materials and due to the stress relaxation in the implanted region of bone, Brinell hardness decreased gradually from the Ti part to the HA part. The results show that the tissue reaction occurred in a gradient in response to the gradient structure of FGM, which implies the possibility of controlling the tissue response via the gradient function of FGM.