Status of nickel free stainless steel in biomedical field: A review of last 10 years and what else can be done

Abstract

The area of biomaterials is a continuous research area. Among others, stainless steels are also used in medical applications such as fracture plates, wires, sutures and implants etc. Surgical grade 316 L stainless steel is specifically used for medical application. It primarily contains nickel, chromium and molybdenum wherein the purpose of nickel is to retain the FCC structure of stainless steel almost at any temperature unlike conventional steel which has ferrite (BCC structure) in ambient temperature. Also, nickel imparts a polished and glossy finish to surgical grade stainless steel which is an important factor to keep it hygienic. But, the harmful effect of nickel on human body has been investigated and reported for quite some time now. The adverse effect of nickel (Ni) ions that release from stainless steel upon crevice and pitting corrosion has led to the evolution of Ni-free stainless steel with high nitrogen content. This paper briefly reviews the effect of nickel release in human body and let go the presence of nickel in stainless steel by uplifting nitrogen content in it. Furthermore, the groundbreaking findings on Ni-free stainless steel in last 10 years are presented and the possibilities of further developments have been hypothesized.