Corrosion resistance and in vitro response of laser-deposited Ti-Nb-Zr-Ta alloys for orthopedic implant applications

While direct metal deposition of metallic powders, via laser deposition, to form near-net shape orthopedic implants is an upcoming and highly promising technology, the corrosion resistance and biocompatibility of such novel metallic biomaterials is relatively unknown and warrants careful investigation. This article presents the results of some initial studies on the corrosion resistance and in vitro response of laser-deposited Ti-Nb-Zr-Ta alloys. These new generation beta titanium alloys are promising due to their low elastic modulus as well as due the fact that they comprise of completely biocompatible alloying elements. The results indicate that the corrosion resistance of these laser-deposited alloys is comparable and in some cases even better than the currently used commercially-pure (CP) titanium (Grade 2) and Ti-6Al-4V ELI alloys. The in vitro studies indicate that the Ti-Nb-Zr-Ta alloys exhibit comparable cell proliferation but enhanced cell differentiation properties as compared with Ti-6Al-4V ELI.