A review—metastable β titanium alloy for biomedical applications

Abstract

Titanium and its alloys have already been widely used as implant materials due to their outstanding mechanical characteristics and biocompatibility. Notwithstanding this, researchers and businesses alike have continued to actively pursue superior alloys since there are still problems which need urgent consideration. One of these is a noteworthy difference in the implant material’s elastics modulus and that of natural bone, which result into an issue of stress shielding. With prolonged use Ti alloys releases dangerous ions. The Ti alloy surface has a low bioactivity, which prolongs the healing process. β-Ti alloys could be used as viable alternatives when creating dental implants. Additionally, β-Ti alloys characteristics, such as low Young modulus, increased strength, appropriate biocompatibility, and strong abrasion and corrosion resistance, serve as the necessary evidence. Ti alloys when altered structurally, chemically, and by thermomechanical treatment thereby enabling the creation of material which can match the requirements of a various clinical practise scenarios. Additional research is needed which can focused on identifying next century Ti alloys consisting of some more compatible phase and transforming the Ti alloys surface from intrinsically bioinert to bioactive to prevent different issues. In order to give scientific support for adopting β-Ti-based alloys as an alternative to cpTi, this paper evaluates the information currently available on the chemical, mechanical, biological, and electrochemical properties of key β-titanium alloys designed from the past few years. This article is also focusing on β-titanium alloy, its properties and performance over other type of titanium alloy such as α titanium alloys. However, in-vivo research is needed to evaluate novel β titanium alloys to support their use as cpTi alternatives.