UNIT-2

METALLIC IMPLANT
MATERIALS
Dr S.Gnanavel
 METALLIC
IMPLANTMATERIALS
STAINLESS STEELS
◦ The first stainless steel used for implant materials was 18-8
(type 302 in modern classification),which is stronger than
the steel and more resistant to corrosion.
◦ Later 18-8sMo stainless steel was introduced. It contains
molybdenum to improve corrosion resistance in salt water.
This alloy became known as type 316 stainless steel.
◦ In the 1950s the carbon content of 316 stainless steel was
reduced from 0.08 w/o to 0.03 w/o maximum for better
corrosion resistance to chloride solution, and it became
known as 316L.
Types and Composition of Stainless Steels
◦ The austenitic stainless steels — especially types 316 and 316L — are most widely used for implants. These are
not hard enable by heat-treatment but can be hardened by cold-working.
◦ This group of stainless steels are nonmagnetic and possess better corrosion resistance than any others.
◦ The ASTM (American Society of Testing and Materials) recommends type 316L rather than 316 for implant
fabrication. The
Properties of Stainless Steel
◦ The designer must consequently be careful when selecting materials of this type. Even type 316L stainless steels
may corrode inside the body under certain circumstances, such as in a highly stressed and oxygen depleted
region.
◦ They are, however, suitable to use in temporary devices such as fracture plates, screws, and hip nails.
 Co-BASED ALLOYS
◦ These materials are usually referred to
as cobalt-chromium alloys. There are
basically two types: one is the
CoCrMo alloy, which is usually used
to cast a product, and the other is
CoNiCrMo alloy, which is usually
wrought by (hot) forging.
◦ The castable CoCrMo alloy has been
in use for many decades in dentistry
and in making artificial joints. The
wrought CoNiCrMo alloy has been
used for making the stems of
prostheses for heavily loaded joints
(such as the knee and hip).
Properties of Co-Based Alloys
◦ One of the most promising wrought Co-based alloys is the Co-Ni-CrMo alloy originally called MP35N
(Standard Pressed Steel Co.), which contains approximately 35 w/o Co and Ni each. The alloy has a high
degree of corrosion resistance to seawater (containing chloride ions) under stress.
◦ Cold-working can increase the strength of the alloy considerably, as shown in Figure 5-4. However, there is
a considerable difficulty of cold-working, especially when making large devices such as hip joint stems.
Only hot forging can be used to fabricate an implant with the alloy.
◦ The abrasive wear properties of the wrought CoNiCrMo alloy is similar to the cast Co-CrMo alloy (about
0.14 mm/year in a joint simulation test).
◦ Such a wear rate would be unacceptable in an actual prosthesis. However, the former is not recommended
for the bearing surfaces of any joint prosthesis because of its poor frictional properties with itself or other
materials.
 Manufacturing Implants Using Co-Based Alloys

◦ The CoCrMo alloy is particularly susceptible to the work-hardening so that the normal fabrication procedure
used with other metals cannot be employed.
◦ A wax pattern of the desired component is made.
◦ The pattern is coated with a refractory material, first by a thin coating with a slurry (suspension of silica in
ethyl silicate solution) followed by complete investing after drying.
◦ The wax is melted out in a furnace (100–150oC).
◦ The mold is heated to a high temperature, burning out any traces of wax or gas-forming materials.
◦ Molten alloy is poured with gravitational or centrifugal force.
◦ The mold temperature is about 800–1000oC and the alloy is at 1350–1400oC.
 Ti AND Ti-BASED ALLOYS

◦ Attempts to use titanium for implant fabrication date

to the late 1930s. It was found that titanium was
tolerated in cat femurs, as was stainless steel and
VitalliumR (CoCrMo alloy).
◦ The lightness of titanium (4.5 g/cm3 compared to 7.9
g/cm3 for 316 stainless steel, 8.3 g/cm3 for cast
CoCrMo, and 9.2 g/cm3 for wrought CoNiCrMo
alloys) and good mechanochemical properties are
salient features for implant application
Compositions of Ti and Ti-Based Alloys
Structure and Properties of Ti and Ti Alloys
◦ Titanium is an allotropic material that exists as a hexagonal close-packed structure (α-Ti) up to 882oC
and a body-centered cubic structure (β -Ti) above that temperature.
1. Aluminum tends to stabilize the α phase, that is, increase the transformation temperature from αto β
phase (Figure 5-7).
2. Vanadium stabilizes the β phase by lowering the temperature of the transformation from α to β
◦ The α alloys have single-phase microstructure (Figure 5-8a), which promotes good weldability.
◦ The stabilizing effect of the high aluminum content of these groups of alloys makes for excellent
strength characteristics and oxidation resistance at high temperature (300–600℃).
◦ These alloys cannot be heat-treated for strengthening since they are single phased since the
precipitation of the second or third phase increases the strength by precipitation hardening process.
 Manufacture of Implants

◦ Titanium is very reactive at high temperature and burns readily in the presence of oxygen.
◦ It therefore requires an inert atmosphere for high-temperature processing or is processed by vacuum
◦ melting. Oxygen diffuses readily in titanium, and the dissolved oxygen embrittles the metal.
◦ As a result any hot-working or forging operation should be carried out below 925oC.
◦ Machining at room temperature is not the solution to all the problems since the material also tends to gall or
seize the cutting tools.
◦ Very sharp tools with slow speeds and large feeds are used to minimize this effect. Electrochemical machining
is an attractive means.
DENTAL METALS

◦ Dental Amalgam
◦ An amalgam is an alloy in which one of the component metals is mercury.
◦ The rationale for using amalgam as a tooth filling material is that since mercury is a liquid at room
temperature it can react with other metals such as silver and tin and form a plastic mass that can be
packed into the cavity, and which hardens (sets) with time.
◦ To fill a cavity the dentist mixes solid alloy, supplied in particulate form, with mercury in a mechanical
triturator.
Phase diagram of Ag and Sn.
Materials used in dental amalgam
◦ Gold
◦ Nickel-Titanium Alloys
1. Martensite formation can be initiated by cooling the material below Ms, defined as the temperature at which the martensitic
transformation begins.

2. Martensite formation can also be initiated by applying a mechanical stress at a temperature above Ms.

3. Ms and As (temperature at which the reverse austenitic transformation begins upon heating) temperatures can be increased by applying
stresses below the yield point; the increase is proportional to the applied stress.

4. The material is more resilient than most metals.

5. The transformation is reversible.

◦ Shape memory alloys are used in orthodontic dental arch wires. They also are used in arterial blood vessel
stents, and may be used in vena cava filters, intracranial aneurysm clips, and orthopedic implants. On a more
speculative level, they might find use in contractile artificial muscles for an artificial heart.
 Materials used in dental amalgam
◦ In order to develop such devices it is necessary to understand fully the mechanical and thermal behavior associated with the martensitic phase
transformation. A widely known Ni-Ti alloy is 55-Nitinol (55 weight % (w/o) or 50 atomic % (a/o) Ni), which has a single phase and “mechanical
memory” plus other properties — for example, high acoustic damping, direct conversion of heat energy into mechanical energy, good fatigue
properties, and low temperature ductility.low-temperature
CORROSION OF METALLIC IMPLANTS
◦ Corrosion is the unwanted chemical reaction of a metal
with its environment, resulting in continued degradation
to oxides, hydroxides, or other compounds. Tissue fluid
in the human body contains water, dissolved oxygen,
proteins, and various ions such as chloride and
hydroxide.
◦ As a result, the human body presents a very aggressive
environment to metals used for implantation.
◦ Corrosion resistance of a metallic implant material is
consequently an important aspect of its
biocompatibility.
 CORROSION OF METALLIC IMPLANTS
Corrosion occurs when metal atoms become ionized and go into solution, or combine with oxygen or other
species in solution to form a compound that flakes off or dissolves.
The electrical component (V) in Figure 5-16 can be a voltmeter with which to measure the potential produced;
or it can be a battery, in which case the cell is an electroplating cell; or it can be tissue resistance, in hich case
the electrochemical cell is an unwanted corrosion cell for a biomaterial in the body.
In the body an external electrical driving source may be present in the form of a cardiac pacemaker, or an
electrode used to stimulate bone growth.
Gold, platinum, and silver are noble metals. They resist corrosion and other chemical reactions.
The order of nobility, which refers to the rank ordering of the electrochemical series, observed in actual
practice may differ from that predicted thermodynamically.
The reasons are that some metals become covered with a passivating film of reaction products that protects
the metal from further attack