In this research, tribological properties of bulk Ti-Cu intermetallic alloy as a new biomedical material produced via mechanical alloying as well as pressureless sintering were investigated. Ti and Cu powders mixture (1:1 molar ratio) was mechanically milled for various times and then sintered in an argon atmosphere. Microstructural characterization revealed TiCu and Ti2Cu3 as primary phases and Ti2Cu and TiCu4 as secondary phases in the sintered alloy. Results of wear tests showed that Ti-Cu intermetallic alloy has much higher wear resistance and lower friction coefficient compared to commercially pure titanium against hard WC counterface. Wear and friction properties of the alloy were considerably improved by prolonging alloying time due to refinement of grain size and increase of Ti2Cu3 phase amount in the sintered alloy. The examinations presented here demonstrate that the Ti-Cu intermetallic alloy can be a very proper substitute for costly biomedical implant materials due to its very high wear resistance and low friction coefficient.
