Comprehensive review on alloy design, processing, and performance of β Titanium alloys as biomedical materials

Metastable beta Ti alloys are widely projected for manufacturing the next generation of biomedical implants. The primary applications of these materials are envisaged in orthopedic, cardiovascular, and orthodontic biomedical devices. Development of an alloyprogresses through stages of compositional design, thermo-mechanical processing, and evaluation of material performance. This review tracks the progress at these three stages of alloy development particularly for use in orthopedic devices. The strategies to design low modulus compositions of beta Ti alloys are critically reviewed. This is followed by the processing routes employed to achieve high strength to modulus ratio suitable for orthopedic applications. The effect of processing on performance metrics of these alloys vis-a-vis fatigue resistance, tribological response, corrosion behaviour, and biocompatibility are reviewed. In the end, targeted research areas for the future are highlighted along with encouraging strategies, with the aim to ensue clinical application of beta Ti alloys.