Mechanical and biocorrosion properties of Ti-XZrC composites fabricated by spark plasma sintering

The Ti-XZrC (X = 5, 10, 15 wt%) composites were fabricated by spark plasma sintering. The composites microstructure, mechanical, and biocorrosion properties were studied and compared with the CP Ti fabricated by the same condition. The results show that with the increasing amount of the ZrC in the matrix, the bulk composites relative is density reduced and the hardness and strength of the composites are significantly increased for fabricating the TiC intermetallics in microstructure. The Ti–5ZrC composite has significantly higher biocorrosion resistance than the CP Ti, and the polarization resistance of the composites is reduced by increasing the ZrC content from 5 to 15, because of the increasing porosities and diffusion rate of corrosive ions through the oxide layers. Generally, the Ti-XZrC composites show significantly excellent mechanical properties with increasing ZrC than the CP Ti, and the biocorrosion resistivity of the Ti–5ZrC composite as compared to the CP Ti is higher, suggesting that the Ti–5ZrC composite is favorable material for the biomedical application as compared with the CP Ti and the other composition of the Ti-XZrC composites. The Ti–5ZrC composite exhibited a hardness of 326 Hv and an ultimate tensile strength of 0.901 GPa, demonstrating significant improvements over commercially pure titanium. Additionally, this composite showed a polarization resistance of 720 kΩ cm² and a low corrosion current density of 4.60 μA/cm², indicating superior biocorrosion resistance.