Effect of electrostatic assembly of silver nanoparticle on microstructure and properties of laser additive manufactured TC4-ELI biomaterials

The incorporation of 2 wt.% silver (Ag) nanoparticles into TC4-ELI titanium alloy via electrostatic assembly was investigated, followed by laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing. The objective was to enhance the alloy's mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, and antibacterial performance to test its potential application in body implants. The results show that electrostatically assembled TC4-ELI/Ag samples achieve a relative density of 99.5%, an ultimate tensile strength of 1250.3 MPa, and an elongation of 16.13%, significantly surpassing unmodified TC4-ELI and ball-milled TC4-ELI/Ag samples. The electrochemical analysis confirms enhanced corrosion resistance, with TAM3 samples (electrostatically assembled) exhibiting superior passivation and a lower corrosion current density of 0.239 μA/cm 2 . Antibacterial tests demonstrate the best performance for TAM3, with a marked reduction in bacterial growth attributed to the uniform dispersion and controlled release of Ag ions.