Abstract

The average age and life expectancy of human beings have increased considerably, producing degenerative diseases, which have led to the degradation of the mechanical properties of bone. Titanium based alloys (Ti) have been widely used in biomedical applications due to their peculiar properties such as good fatigue resistance, durability, corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. This work reports the synthesis of foams of a Ti-20Nb-5Ta-2Mn (at. %) alloy by the use of NaCl as spacer holder (0, 20 and 30% vol. added) with and without bimodal structure. The Ti-based alloy foams were consolidated by hot pressing using 30 MPa and 780°C for 30 minutes in argon gas. The morphology of the foams was characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The elastic moduli of the foams were measured in a range of 19 to 39 GPa. The foams showed an inhomogeneous distribution of the macropores and adequate characteristics to promote cell adhesion and bone growth, with a size distribution between 100 to 300 μm. The foams with bimodal structure showed a higher percentage of apparent porosity.