J. Mater. Sci. Technol. ›› 2023, Vol. 141: 209-220.DOI: 10.1016/j.jmst.2022.07.064

• Research Article • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Development of new Ti50Zr25Nb20Cu5-xAgx high-entropy alloys with excellent antibacterial property, osteo-conductivity and biocompatibility in vitro and in vivo

Bingxiao Yua,b,1, Talante Jumaa,1, Hao Wanga,1, Xiaotong Baoc,1, Xiangyu Caod, Zhiwen Wange, Rui Wanga, Xin Yanga, Taiguo Ninga, Guanghua Lianga, Yongping Caoa,*, Tao Zhangc,*, Zhenpeng Guanf,*   

  1. aOrthopedic Department, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing 100034, China;
    bDepartment of Intensive Care, Peking University Shougang Hospital, Beijing 100144, China;
    cKey Laboratory of Aerospace Materials and Performance (Ministry of Education), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China;
    dOrthopedic Department, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing 100191, China;
    eDepartment of neurosurgery, Aviation General Hospital, Beijing 100012, China;
    fOrthopedic Department, Peking University Shougang Hospital, Beijing 100144, China
  • Received:2022-04-21 Revised:2022-06-30 Accepted:2022-07-21 Published:2023-04-01 Online:2022-10-26
  • Contact: *E-mail addresses: freehorse66@163.com (Y. Cao), zhangtao@buaa.edu.cn (T. Zhang), guanzhenpeng@qq.com (Z. Guan)
  • About author:1 These authors contributed equally to this work as the first author.

Abstract: A new series of medical antibacterial high-entropy alloys (HEAs) with composition Ti50Zr25Nb20Cu5-xAgx (x = 0 at.%, 1 at.%, and 2.5 at.%) were developed by arc-melting the mixture of pure elements under a high-purity argon atmosphere. The cytotoxicity, osteo-conductivity, and antibacterial properties of these HEAs were systematically investigated in vitro, along with their in vivo biocompatibility and antibacterial properties. These HEAs, especially Ti50Zr25Nb20Cu2.5Ag2.5, showed better antibacterial ability against Staphylococcus aureus than Ti-6Al-4V, which has a nearly 99% antibacterial rate in vitro. Moreover, ion release and cytotoxicity tests showed that these HEAs had excellent biosafety, similar to or better than that of Ti-6Al-4V. Osteoblasts were used to evaluate the osteogenic activity of these HEAs, and good osteo-conductivity was observed in vitro. In a Sprague-Dawley rat infection model, Ti50Zr25Nb20Cu2.5Ag2.5 showed remarkable antibacterial properties compared to Ti-6Al-4V. The in vivo biocompatibility results showed that Ti50Zr25Nb20Cu2.5Ag2.5 did not increase biotoxicity compared to Ti-6Al-4V. The excellent biocompatibility and antibacterial properties of the Ti-Zr-Nb-Cu-Ag HEAs are expected to enable the prevention of periprosthetic/peri-implant infections in the future.

Key words: High-entropy alloys, Implant infection, Metal anti-bacteria, Biofilm, Osteo-conductivity, Biocompatibility