[{"date_created":"2025-12-12T13:11:59Z","file":[{"file_id":"63073","content_type":"application/pdf","success":1,"file_name":"crystals-15-01053.pdf","file_size":20716652,"access_level":"closed","relation":"main_file","date_updated":"2025-12-12T13:12:33Z","date_created":"2025-12-12T13:12:33Z","creator":"paulstei"}],"department":[{"_id":"158"},{"_id":"321"}],"type":"journal_article","keyword":["Biomaterial","In Situ Alloying","Titanium","Additive Manufacturing"],"publication":"Crystals","issue":"12","abstract":[{"lang":"eng","text":"<jats:p>Titanium alloys are widely employed for biomedical implants due to their high strength, biocompatibility, and corrosion resistance, yet their lack of intrinsic antibacterial activity remains a major limitation. Incorporating copper, an antibacterial and β-stabilising element, offers a promising strategy to enhance implant performance. This study investigates Ti-6Al-7Nb modified with 1–9 wt.% Cu via in situ alloying during metal-based laser powder bed fusion (PBF-LB/M), with the aim of assessing processability, microstructural evolution, and mechanical properties. Highly dense samples (&gt;99.9%) were produced across all Cu levels, though chemical homogeneity strongly depended on processing parameters. Increasing Cu content promoted β-phase stabilisation, Ti2Cu precipitation, and pronounced grain refinement. Hardness and yield strength increased nearly linearly with Cu addition, while ductility decreased sharply at ≥5 wt.% Cu due to intermetallic formation, hot cracking, and brittle fracture. These results illustrate both the opportunities and constraints of rapid alloy screening via PBF-LB/M. Overall, moderate Cu additions of 1–3 wt.% provide the most favourable balance between mechanical performance, manufacturability, and potential antibacterial functionality. These findings provide a clear guideline for the design of Cu-functionalised titanium implants and demonstrate the efficiency of in situ alloy screening for accelerated materials development.</jats:p>"}],"language":[{"iso":"eng"}],"main_file_link":[{"open_access":"1","url":"https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst15121053"}],"article_number":"1053","doi":"10.3390/cryst15121053","publication_identifier":{"issn":["2073-4352"]},"author":[{"full_name":"Steinmeier, Paul","first_name":"Paul","last_name":"Steinmeier"},{"first_name":"Kay-Peter","last_name":"Hoyer","full_name":"Hoyer, Kay-Peter"},{"last_name":"Lopes Dias","first_name":"Nelson Filipe","full_name":"Lopes Dias, Nelson Filipe"},{"last_name":"Zielke","first_name":"Reiner","full_name":"Zielke, Reiner"},{"last_name":"Tillmann","first_name":"Wolfgang","full_name":"Tillmann, Wolfgang"},{"full_name":"Schaper, Mirko","last_name":"Schaper","first_name":"Mirko"}],"title":"In Situ Alloying of Ti-6Al-7Nb with Copper Using Laser Powder Bed Fusion","year":"2025","intvolume":"        15","article_type":"original","date_updated":"2025-12-12T14:02:13Z","publication_status":"published","oa":"1","citation":{"apa":"Steinmeier, P., Hoyer, K.-P., Lopes Dias, N. F., Zielke, R., Tillmann, W., &#38; Schaper, M. (2025). In Situ Alloying of Ti-6Al-7Nb with Copper Using Laser Powder Bed Fusion. <i>Crystals</i>, <i>15</i>(12), Article 1053. <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst15121053\">https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst15121053</a>","ieee":"P. Steinmeier, K.-P. Hoyer, N. F. Lopes Dias, R. Zielke, W. Tillmann, and M. Schaper, “In Situ Alloying of Ti-6Al-7Nb with Copper Using Laser Powder Bed Fusion,” <i>Crystals</i>, vol. 15, no. 12, Art. no. 1053, 2025, doi: <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst15121053\">10.3390/cryst15121053</a>.","short":"P. Steinmeier, K.-P. Hoyer, N.F. Lopes Dias, R. Zielke, W. Tillmann, M. Schaper, Crystals 15 (2025).","chicago":"Steinmeier, Paul, Kay-Peter Hoyer, Nelson Filipe Lopes Dias, Reiner Zielke, Wolfgang Tillmann, and Mirko Schaper. “In Situ Alloying of Ti-6Al-7Nb with Copper Using Laser Powder Bed Fusion.” <i>Crystals</i> 15, no. 12 (2025). <a href=\"https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst15121053\">https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst15121053</a>.","mla":"Steinmeier, Paul, et al. “In Situ Alloying of Ti-6Al-7Nb with Copper Using Laser Powder Bed Fusion.” <i>Crystals</i>, vol. 15, no. 12, 1053, MDPI AG, 2025, doi:<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst15121053\">10.3390/cryst15121053</a>.","ama":"Steinmeier P, Hoyer K-P, Lopes Dias NF, Zielke R, Tillmann W, Schaper M. In Situ Alloying of Ti-6Al-7Nb with Copper Using Laser Powder Bed Fusion. <i>Crystals</i>. 2025;15(12). doi:<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst15121053\">10.3390/cryst15121053</a>","bibtex":"@article{Steinmeier_Hoyer_Lopes Dias_Zielke_Tillmann_Schaper_2025, title={In Situ Alloying of Ti-6Al-7Nb with Copper Using Laser Powder Bed Fusion}, volume={15}, DOI={<a href=\"https://doi.org/10.3390/cryst15121053\">10.3390/cryst15121053</a>}, number={121053}, journal={Crystals}, publisher={MDPI AG}, author={Steinmeier, Paul and Hoyer, Kay-Peter and Lopes Dias, Nelson Filipe and Zielke, Reiner and Tillmann, Wolfgang and Schaper, Mirko}, year={2025} }"},"file_date_updated":"2025-12-12T13:12:33Z","quality_controlled":"1","publisher":"MDPI AG","_id":"63072","funded_apc":"1","volume":15,"ddc":["620"],"user_id":"69776","status":"public","has_accepted_license":"1"}]