Scientific Approaches to the Development of Titanium-Based Alloys for Medical Implants

Abstract

One of the main problems with the use of metal implants is mechanical resorption, due to a significant difference in Young's moduli of bone tissue and metal material. This paper provides an overview of the main approaches for developing and optimizing the compositions of low-modulus alloys for medical implants. The choice of the base metal of such alloys – titanium, combining a low Young's modulus with complete biological inertness, -- is substantiated. Based on the analysis and systematization of the available literature data, the issues of choosing the optimal alloying to achieve a low Young's modulus, while maintaining biological compatibility, are considered. The main attention is paid to the Ti-Nb-Zr- (Ta, Sn) system as providing the maximum potential for reducing the Young's modulus. In addition, the importance of obtaining a certain structural and textural state in the product to further reduce the Young's modulus is noted.