Titanium, Niobium, Zirconium, and Tantalum for Medical and Surgical Applications

Zardiackas LD

The scope of the symposium that these papers were originally presented at was information on the development of new alloys and processing techniques for medical applications, characterization of fundamental materials properties critical to their use for biomedical applications, and evaluation of biological and clinical performance. This STP includes peer reviewed papers presented at the ASTM F04 symposium.

These papers address research focused on the development, processing, properties and clinical performance of devices made from alloys used for hip replacements, pacemakers, knee replacements, and other biomedical applications. The papers are organized into three sections 1) processing, 2) properties, and 3) biological and clinical performance.

The alloy processing section includes information on the formulation and processing of five implantable metallic biomaterials:

• Ti-12Mo-6Zr-2Fe alloy (“TMZF”)
• Zr-2.5Nb alloy (“Oxidized Zirconium”, “Oxinium”)
• Tantalum foam (“Trabecular Metal”)
• Ti-35Nb-7Zr-5Ta alloy (“TiOsteum”)
• Ti-15Mo alloy

The papers in properties section cover bulk and surface properties of a number of different titanium alloys, which may be used for implants, as well as an evaluation of the fracture mechanisms. The papers in the third section focus on the biological and clinical evaluation of titanium, niobium, zirconium, and tantalum used in the medical and surgical setting.

Order this STP for access to critical information and a key resource for researchers, engineers, and analysts working in bio-medical applications of metallic materials for load bearing implants.