Preparation and properties of mechanically alloyed and electrochemically etched porous Ti–6Al–4V

Formation of porous Ti–6Al–4V nanostructure biomaterial was described. The alloy was prepared by mechanical alloying followed by pressing, sintering and subsequent anodic electrochemical etching in 1 M H₃PO₄ + 2% HF electrolyte at 10 V for 30 min. Mechanically alloyed Ti–6Al–4V has nanostructure with grain size of about 35 nm and large grain boundaries volume fraction, which essentially improve etching process. The electrolyte penetrates sintered compacts through the grain boundaries, resulting in effective material removing and pores formation. The pore diameter reaches up to 60 μm, which is very attractive for strong bonding with bone. The anodization of the microcrystalline alloy ingot results in selective etching, revealing of the two-phase structure with relatively flat surface. The corrosion properties were investigated in Ringer’s solution. Mechanically alloyed samples shows worse corrosion resistance than the bulk microcrystalline alloy ingot, but electrochemical etching results in improving corrosion resistance.