Tough yet flexible superelastic alloys meet biomedical needs

Xu, X.*; 大平 拓実*; Xu, S.*; 平田 研二*; 大森 俊洋*; 植木 洸輔*; 上田 恭介*; 成島 尚之*; 長迫 実*; 貝沼 亮介*; Harjo, S.   ; 川崎 卓郎   ; Bodnrov, L.*; Sedlk, P.*; Seiner, H.*

Xu, X.*; Odaira, Takumi*; Xu, S.*; Hirata, Kenji*; Omori, Toshihiro*; Ueki, Kosuke*; Ueda, Kyosuke*; Narushima, Takayuki*; Nagasako, Makoto*; Kainuma, Ryosuke*; Harjo, S.; Kawasaki, Takuro; Bodnrov, L.*; Sedlk, P.*; Seiner, H.*

Metallic biomaterials are widely used to replace or support failing hard tissues due to excellent mechanical properties and high wear resistance, with demand increasing as the global population continues to age. It is widely accepted that successful metallic biomaterials should have good biocompatibility, high corrosion resistance, and strong wear resistance. In addition, a low Young's modulus similar to human bone is now recognized as another important factor, in order to avoid bone atrophy due to the stress shielding effect. While the Young's modulus of stainless steels and conventional fcc CoCr alloys is as high as 190-240 GPa, for -type Ti-base alloys it is generally in the range of 50-80 GPa. Young's modulus values are as low as 35 GPa for Ti-Nb-Ta-Zr, close to that of human bone at approximately 10-30 GPa. However, Ti-base alloys come with the compromise of low wear resistance. In fact, alloys that feature a low Young's modulus along with high wear resistance have been difficult to realize. This article explores the recently developed bcc CoCr-base alloy Co-Cr-Al-Si as a potential solution to these issues, i.e., the difficulty in combining a low Young's modulus with high wear resistance, and the challenge of realizing large superelastic strains.