Fast low-temperature consolidation of a nanostructured 2Ti-ZrO₂ composite for biomedical applications

TiO and Zr powders were milled by high energy ball milling and horizontal ball milling. The milled powders were then consolidated using high frequency induction heated sintering (HFIHS) within 4 min under the applied pressure of 1 GPa. The milling did not induce any reaction between the constituent powders. Meanwhile, HFIHS of the TiO-Zr mixture produced a Ti-ZrO₂ composite according to the reaction (2TiO+Zr→2Ti+ZrO₂). The average hardness and fracture toughness of the nanostructured 2Ti-ZrO₂ composite sintered from high energy ball milled powder were 1002 kg/mm ² and 6.8 MPa m^1/2, respectively. The fracture toughness of the 2Ti-ZrO₂ composite was significantly higher due to the presence of ductile Ti synthesized during sintering. The wear resistance of the composite was measured using a pin-on-disc type apparatus. Cell viability was also analyzed by absorbance of the composite using CCK-8 solution.