Effect of oxygen content on the mechanical properties and plastic deformation mechanisms in the TWIP/TRIP Ti–12Mo alloy

In the last decades, biomaterials have improved the life and its quality for millions around the Globe. Titanium-based biomaterials have rapidly become the gold standard for bone contact applications. Despite their successful performance, their low strength-ductility trade-offs and work-hardening rates limit their use for example for the manufacture of vascular stents. Although a high strength-ductility trade-off and a high work-hardening rate were reported for the TWIP/TRIP Ti–12Mo alloy, strengthening strategies are required to approach its strength to the ones of Co–Cr alloys, main metallic materials used to produce stents. In this study, the investigated strengthening strategy was the increase of oxygen content from 0.04 to 0.18 wt% in the Ti–12Mo alloy. The effect of this increase on its microstructure, mechanical properties and plastic deformation mechanisms was studied. Athermal ω precipitates were observed throughout with the β matrix of both solution-treated alloys. X-Ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy suggested that the quantity of ω phase was larger in the alloy with a higher oxygen content, contrasting with the common knowledge that O suppresses ω phase precipitation. Independently of oxygen content, {332}<113> twins and stress-induced martensite (SIM) α" occurred in the deformed microstructures. Based on the electron backscatter diffraction analyses, the area fraction of SIM α" decreased by increasing oxygen content. Although elongation decreased with this oxygen content increase, Ti–12Mo-0.18O exhibited a high true uniform elongation of 25% and a true ultimate tensile strength higher than the Ti–12Mo-0.04O alloy. Hardness and yield strength also increased by increasing oxygen content, while elastic modulus did not change.