Microstructure and superelasticity of porous NiTi alloy

The microstructure, porosity, phase composition and superelasticity (SE) in porous NiTi alloys produced by elemental powder sintering are examined by SEM, image analysis and XRD. It is found that it is feasible to produce porous NiTi alloy by elemental powder sintering, and the porosity of sintered porous NiTi alloy is in the range of 36.0%–41.5%. The pores are interconnected and the microstructure is sponge-like. Meanwhile, porous NiTi alloy has good SE. XRD patterns show that there is no pure Ni in alloy sintered at 1 223 K-9 h. Compared with the biomedical criteria for choice of implanting materials, porous NiTi alloy is satisfying to a great degree.