Structural and Tribological Behavior of Nanostructured Ti80Ni20 Powder

Mechanically milled Ti80Ni20 powders were compacted and sintered at various temperatures after being milled for 9 h in a protective atmosphere. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to evaluate the morphology of the surfaces. Oscillating friction and wear tests were carried out in ambient air using an oscillating tribotester. As a counter pair, we used a ball of Al2O3 with a diameter of 6 mm under different conditions of normal applied load for the three sintering regimes. SEM characterizations, the micro- and nano-hardness, roughness measurements, and the friction coefficient were used to study the tribological behavior of the samples’ surface morphology, as well as the weight loss following testing. According to the findings, the resistance to wear and friction of the biomedical Ti80Ni20 alloy can vary depending on the preparation and treatment methods used. Surface coating is recommended to further improve the tribological behavior of the substrates. The novelty of this study lies in the combined investigation of the microstructural evolution and tribological behavior, offering a better understanding of the performance of nanostructured titanium–nickel alloys in engineering applications.