A review of Gum Metal: Developments over the years and new perspectives

Abstract

Gum Metals are β-Ti alloys that present only non-toxic elements in their composition, low elastic modulus, good formability, and excellent biocompatibility. The composition of these alloys needs to fulfill some electronic criteria to present their typical properties. In addition, during their processing, Gum Metal must be significantly deformed, which can be obtained by cold rolling or swaging. Over the last years, several new processing routes and alloy compositions have been proposed to meet these requirements, expanding the range of properties for Gum Metal, and increasing their extent of application. Although being relatively new, Gum Metal has been extensively studied. However, there is a lack of a review that encompasses the findings obtained over the years, as well as its future perspectives. This review aims to critically discuss and analyze Gum Metal development, with a special focus on new compositions, processing routes, and applications. Moreover, future perspectives are explored as well. Graphical abstract

A comprehensive review of Gum metal's potential as a biomedical material

“…Importantly, it consists solely of non-toxic elements, and these elements play a pivotal role in stabilizing the β-phase of Ti. 19 In recent decades, there has been a growing surge of interest in Gum metal, as indicated by da Silva et al 20 Numerous advancements, both in terms of chemical composition design and processing techniques, have been documented in the literature during this period. These developments have been primarily driven by the aim to create and enhance these alloys for biomedical applications.…”