Artificial joint and artificial bone replacement materials should have the following basic properties: lightweight and high-strength materials, biocompatibility, corrosion resistance, no material degradation caused by tissue reactions in the body, less fatigue and damage caused by repeated stress, etc.
The most important properties of metal implants are formability, machinability, and polishability. They must maintain their functions during their expected lifespan and not deteriorate when subjected to fatigue, wear, corrosion, and impact loads. Titanium and titanium alloys meet all of the above requirements.
The earliest artificial joint materials used, such as dental tray powder, polypropylene, and plexiglass, had low strength, easy breakage, and poor biocompatibility. Later, stainless steel was used instead, but the specific gravity of stainless steel is relatively large, about twice that of human bones, and it will corrode and fracture under the action of body fluids in the body. Co-Cr alloy is also an excellent artificial joint material, but unfortunately, cobalt and chromium are toxic to the human body. Titanium and titanium alloys have a low specific gravity (similar to the specific gravity of human bones), high strength, good machining, and excellent corrosion resistance, making them an ideal artificial joint material.
The titanium materials specified for surgical implant materials are mainly pure titanium and Ti-6Al-4VELI alloy. Recently, the implant materials Ti-6Al-7Nb and Ti-13Nb1-13Zr with good affinity to the human body have also been approved by ASTM standards.
Using titanium to make artificial bones, cells can regenerate on them, bones can grow, and titanium has a good affinity with human bones, epithelium, and artificial tissues. To improve the surface quality of implant materials connected to human bones, it is also an effective method to roughen the surface with a bioceramic layer.
At present, titanium and titanium alloys have been widely used in artificial bone joints, artificial bones, joint footplates, broken bone fixators, intramedullary nails, artificial heart valves, skulls, etc.
Application of titanium in orthopedics
The elastic modulus of medical titanium alloys is closer to human bones than stainless steel and is suitable for human orthopedic surgery.
In orthopedics, titanium-nickel shape memory alloys are mostly used. Studies have shown that NT-SMA is a new material that integrates properties such as wear resistance, corrosion resistance, shape memory effect, pseudo-elasticity, and acoustic damping. Its application in orthopedics is becoming more and more extensive. In addition to commonly used bone plates, intramedullary nails, mandibular internal fixation, scoliosis correction, etc., Shanghai Changhai Hospital has also carried out a series of designs and clinical applications of NT-SMA, such as NT-patellar concentrator, NT-arc fork nail, NT-arch device, NT-dragonfly device (specially designed for sacral reconstruction), etc., and achieved satisfactory therapeutic effects.
Non-Ferrous Crucible Inc. provide a variety of commercial pure Titanium and Titanium alloys in wire, sheet, bar, tube, and other forms. We also provide Titanium expanded/stamped mesh, Titanium wire mesh.