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For many years titanium and its alloys have been recognized as ideal materials for use in medical devices and long-term implants thanks to their unique combination of excellent biocompatibility, high strength to density ratio, low modulus, and fracture toughness.
Among all titanium and its alloys, the mainly used materials in biomedical field are the commercially pure titanium (cp Ti, grade 2) and Ti-6Al-4V (grade 5) alloy. Other medical grades titanium includes Ti-6Al-7Nb, Ti-13Nb-13Zr, super-elastic and shape memory Ti-Ni alloy. They are widely used as hard tissue replacements in artificial bones, joints and dental implants.
Common use
Hip and knee replacement, shoulder and elbow joint and spinal fusion fixation are the most frequent and common use of titanium for biomedical today. In addition, titanium heart valves, pacemaker cases, vascular access ports have been more and more used to compete with those made of tissue.
Reconstructive titanium bone plates and mesh that supports broken bones are commonly used today. Other titanium fixation devices include bone screws, plates, rods, hooks and nails, cable and staples.
Titanium dental implants act as artificial roots, providing a secure base a full arch of teeth, or a single tooth. Orthodontic braces of titanium are stronger, lighter and more biocompatible than steel.
Other instruments made from titanium include surgical devices, dental drills, laser electrodes, stents, optical procedure devices, marker bands, vena cava clips, needles, staples, blades and forceps to name just a few.
Tantalum causes no immune response in mammals, so has found wide use in the making of surgical and dental implants.
The use of tantalum in surgical and biomedical applications is based on its bioinertness which in turn is due to the adherent oxide layer which forms spontaneously on the surface of tantalum metal when exposed to air. Moreover, tantalum is inert in bodily fluids and has good mechanical properties. Example applications are surgical clips, bone grafts, plates for cranioplasty, as foil or wire it connects torn nerves, as woven mesh it binds abdominal muscle, and dental implants. Because tantalum is a non-ferrous, non-magnetic metal, these implants are considered to be acceptable for patients undergoing MRI procedures.
Niobium has good resistance to corrosion and excellent biocompatibility, not reacting with a variety of liquid substances in human body, and almost does not damage biological tissues. Niobium can adapt any sterilization method and as a result are often used for manufacturing bone fixation plate, skull bone plate screws and orthopedic appliances.
Niobium alloys (Nb-Ti) are used to manufacture superconducting magnets for medical hardware such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
Tungsten heavy alloy for biomedical
High density tungsten alloys are used as a protection from radiation, in particular against x rays and gamma rays. They act as good isolation material and guard patients from dangerous radiation. Syringes are also made of tungsten alloys; they are used when some radioactive substance is injected into patient’s body. Some medical tools are made from tungsten alloys to protect people from harmful effects of radiation.
