Laser additive manufacturing of a carbon-supersaturated β-Ti alloy for biomaterial application

Developing high-performance β-Ti alloys is a persistent and long-term demand for the advancement of next-generation biomaterials. In this study, a strategy of leveraging the unique characteristics of laser powder bed fusion (L-PBF) technique and nanocarbon materials was proposed to design a novel carbon-supersaturated β-Ti alloy. Ultrathin graphene oxide (GO) sheets were closely covering onto spherical Ti-15Mo-5Zr-3Al (Ti1553) powders, enhancing laser absorptivity while maintaining good flowability. Consequently, the GO-added Ti1553 builds tended to be denser than the initial ones, indicating an improved additive manufacturability. During L-PBF, GO sheets were completely dissolved into the Ti1553 matrix, generating fully carbon-supersaturated β-Ti structures with a reduced grain size. Thanks to the exceptional strengthening effects of high-concentration solid-solution carbon (∼0.05 wt%), the GO/Ti1553 builds achieved a high ultimate tensile strength of 1166 MPa. Moreover, as revealed by the immunofluorescence staining experiments, the GO/Ti1553 builds demonstrated a retained cytocompatibility. This study provides new insight into composition and processing design of high-performance Ti components for biomedical applications.