Preparation of Boronized Ti6Al4V/HA Composites by Powder Sintering for Dental Applications: Effect of Mixing Method

Three methods, namely, traditional one-step ball millingBall milling method, two-step ball millingBall milling method, and ball milling-resonant acoustic mixingResonant acoustic mixing method were used for mixing the powders of Ti6Al4VTi6Al4V, hydroxyapatiteHydroxyapatite (HA), and TiB2 before sinteringSintering at 1050 °C for 30 min to prepare boronized Ti6Al4VTi6Al4V/HA composites as dental implants. Their effects on the composition, microstructure, and mechanical propertiesMechanical properties of the composite were investigated. It was found that compared with traditional one-step ball millingBall milling and two-step ball millingBall milling method, the ball milling-resonant acoustic mixingResonant acoustic mixing method led to lower HA decomposition and better TiB2 reactivity during subsequent sinteringSintering process, which contributed to better mechanical propertiesMechanical properties. When the powders were mixed by ball millingBall milling for 12 h, followed by resonant acoustic mixingResonant acoustic mixing for 20 min, the composite obtained after microwave sinteringSintering at 1050 °C for 30 min had good comprehensive properties, namely, compressive strengthCompressive strength of 331.6 MPa, compressive modulus of 8.69 GPa, and Vickers microhardnessMicrohardness of 286.0 HV.