New Zr-Ti-Nb Alloy for Medical Application: Development, Chemical and Mechanical Properties, and Biocompatibility

Abstract

The concept of mechanical biocompatibilities is considered an important factor for orthopedics and dental implants. The high Young modulus of traditional Ti-based alloys can lead to stress-shielding syndrome and late postoperative complications. The development of new Al- and V-free Ti alloys with a low elastic modulus is a critical task for implantology. Despite the relatively low Young modulus and appropriate biological response of metastable beta-Ti alloys, their production requires complex metallurgical solutions and a high final cost that limit commercial application. The current research aimed to develop a Zr-Ti-Nb system with a low Young modulus suitable for biomedical application, including orthopedics and dental implantology. Two different charges were used for new alloy production with melting in a vacuum-arc furnace VDP-1 under atmospheric control (argon + helium) with a non-consumable tungsten electrode and a water-cooled copper crystallizer. Post-treatment included a forging-rolling process to produce a bar suitable for implant production. SEM with EDX and the mechanical parameters of the new alloy were evaluated, and a cell culture experiment provided a biocompatibility assessment. The chemical composition of the new alloy can be represented as 59.57-19.02-21.41 mass% of Zr-Ti-Nb. The mechanical properties are characterized by an extremely low Young modulus—27,27 GPa for the alloy and 34.85 GPa for the bar. The different master alloys used for Zr-Ti-Nb production did not affect the chemical compound and mechanical parameters so it was possible to use affordable raw materials to decrease the final price of the new product. The cell culture experiment demonstrated a full biocompatibility, indicating that this new alloy can be used for dental and orthopedics implant production.

Synthesis and Characterization of a Novel Biocompatible Alloy, Ti-Nb-Zr-Ta-Sn

“…No significant differences in the mitochondrial activity of cells cultured on TNZTS and Ti-6Al-4V were recorded. These results are in agreement with those reported in many studies on the biocompatibility of Ti-based alloys [26,53,54]. Mishchenko et al [53] found that the values of resazurin reduction obtained for human osteoblasts cultured on commercially pure (cp) Ti specimens were not significantly different from those for Zr-Ti-Nb alloy specimens, at each time point, including 24 h. Similarly, employing MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblasts, cytotoxicity data of 24 h cell culture did not differ significantly between cells grown on cp Ti and Ti-Nb alloys, with Nb contents of 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 wt./wt.% [26].…”

“…These results are in agreement with those reported in many studies on the biocompatibility of Ti-based alloys [26,53,54]. Mishchenko et al [53] found that the values of resazurin reduction obtained for human osteoblasts cultured on commercially pure (cp) Ti specimens were not significantly different from those for Zr-Ti-Nb alloy specimens, at each time point, including 24 h. Similarly, employing MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblasts, cytotoxicity data of 24 h cell culture did not differ significantly between cells grown on cp Ti and Ti-Nb alloys, with Nb contents of 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 wt./wt.% [26]. Falanga et al [54] showed a similar rate of short-term proliferation and viability of human fibroblast cultured on specimens of Ti-based alloys, including a Ti-Nb alloy.…”

Studying the possibility of application of Zr-Ti-Nb alloys instead of titanium alloy Ti-6Al-4V for products of biomedical purpose

“…Серед цих матеріалів слід відзначити широку гаму однофазних сплавів на базі титану, цирконію, ніобію, гафнію, танталу, що дозволяють знизити модуль нормальної пружності до 47-60 ГПа за умови межі міцності від 980 МПа до 1485 МПа. Перевагою зазначених матеріалів є хороша біосумісність і відсутність токсичності для клітин [11]. Проте за даними сплавів обмежена кількість порівняльних оцінок за механічними властивостями і технологічності отримання порівняно з наявними сплавами.…”

Formation of a Bacteriostatic Surface on ZrNb Alloy via Anodization in a Solution Containing Cu Nanoparticles

“…Several current investigations are focused on zirconium as a very attractive alternative substitute to titanium in dental implantology [7]. It was reported that zirconium-niobium (Zr-Nb) alloys possessed better corrosion resistance and similar biocompatibility compared to Ti-6Al-4V and pure Ti [8,9]. Moreover, some new studies have shown that bacteria attached to zirconium implants poorly compared to titanium ones [10].…”