Study of the surface wear resistance and biological properties of the Ti-Zr-Nb-Sn alloy for dental restoration.

A new titanium alloy (Ti-12.5Zr-3Nb-2.5Sn) was developed to meet the needs of clinical requirements for medical titanium alloys and improve the properties of existing titanium alloys. The as-prepared alloy was solution treated at 500 °C for 3 h in vacuum followed by water quenching. Tensile, wear and hardness tests were carried out to examine the mechanical properties of the Ti-Zr-Nb-Sn alloy. Oral mucous membrane irritation test was performed to evaluate the surface biological properties of the Ti-Zr-Nb-Sn alloy. The results suggested that the surface hardness and wear-resistant properties of the Ti-12.5Zr-3Nb-2.5Sn alloy were superior to commercially pure Ti. The oral mucous irritation test showed that all samples had no mucous membrane irritation. It indicates that Ti-12.5Zr-3Nb-2.5Sn has large potential to be used as dental restoration material.