Journal of Dental Research, Vol 80, 860-863, Copyright © 2001 by International & American Associations for Dental Research Online Journals
A new Ti-5Ag alloy for customized prostheses by three-dimensional printing (3DP)
S. B. Hong, N. Eliaz, G. G. Leisk, E. M. Sach, R. M. Latanision and S. M. Allen
Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA, USA.
Three important considerations in the fabrication of customized
cranio-maxillofacial prostheses are geometric precision, material strength,
and biocompatibility. Three-dimensional printing (3DP) is a rapid
part-fabrication process that can produce complex parts with high
precision. The aim of this study was to design, synthesize by 3DP, and
characterize a new Ti-5Ag (wt%) alloy. Silver nitrate was found to be an
appropriate inorganic binder for the Ti powder-based skeleton, and the
optimum sintering parameters for full densification were determined. The
hardness of the Ti-5Ag alloy was shown to be much higher than that of a
pure titanium sample. Potentiodynamic measurements, carried out in saline
solution at body temperature, showed that the Ti-5Ag alloy had good
passivation behavior, similar to that of pure titanium. It is concluded
that the Ti-Ag system may be suitable for fabrication of customized
prostheses by 3DP.
