Metallic meta-biomaterials: A critical review of fatigue behaviors

Abstract

As an important subset of metamaterials with unprecedented combinations of favorable mechanical, mass transport and biological properties, meta-biomaterials have attracted much research interest recently because of their great potential in biomedical applications, especially in orthopedic tissue repair and replacement. Meta-biomaterials must withstand cyclic musculoskeletal loads after implantation when used in the bone repair or replacement; therefore, fatigue resistance is critical to ensure their long-term reliability. The topology-fatigue behavior relationship of meta-biomaterials needs to be investigated before their clinical application. This paper focuses on the fatigue behaviors of metallic meta-biomaterials for their potential application as bone substitutes and orthopedic implants and reviews the currently available results in this field. Technologies of meta-biomaterial fatigue behavior analysis and their features are initially introduced. Risk factors, including topological structures, base material types, manufacturing and posttreatment processes, loading profiles, tissue regeneration, and biodegradation, and their effects on the fatigue behaviors of metallic meta-biomaterials are systematically analyzed and summarized. Moreover, crack propagation and fatigue life prediction models, which characterize the fatigue behaviors of meta-biomaterials, are introduced to describe topology-fatigue behavior relationships. Research progress and limitations are discussed to provide a better understanding of the state-of-the-art trend and direction for future meta-biomaterial research.