Tribological and biological behaviors of laser cladded Ti-based metallic glass composite coatings

In order to improve the wear resistance of pure Ti, three kinds of metallic glass composite coatings (MGCCs) with the compositions of Ti₄₅Zr₅Cu₄₁Ni₉, Ti₄₅Zr₅Cu₄₁Ni₆Sn₃ and Ti₅₁Zr₅Cu₄₁Sn₃, were deposited on pure Ti by laser cladding. It is found that the order of amorphous phase percentage is Ti₅₁Zr₅Cu₄₁Sn₃ > Ti₄₅Zr₅Cu₄₁Ni₆Sn₃ > Ti₄₅Zr₅Cu₄₁Ni₉. Compared to the pure Ti substrate, the wear resistances of three coatings were significantly improved in simulated body fluid (SBF) solution. The wear resistance of MGCCs in SBF solution is in the order of Ti₄₅Zr₅Cu₄₁Ni₆Sn₃ > Ti₄₅Zr₅Cu₄₁Ni₉ ≥ Ti₅₁Zr₅Cu₄₁Sn₃, which is attributed to the combination of fine grain strengthening and well corrosion resistance. XPS results imply that these coatings enable to induce the deposition of calcium phosphate which is excellent responsible for the bone formation. The CCK-8 test and cell adhesion experiments show that compared to pure Ti, the Ti₅₁Zr₅Cu₄₁Sn₃ coating was free of cytotoxicity, while Ti₄₅Zr₅Cu₄₁Ni₉ and Ti₄₅Zr₅Cu₄₁Ni₆Sn₃ coatings have obvious cytotoxicity in vitro due to the high release rate of Cu and Ni ions from coatings. It is suggested that the Ti₅₁Zr₅Cu₄₁Sn₃ coating had not only well wear resistance, but also excellent biocompatibility.