A tantalum-containing zirconium-based metallic glass with superior endosseous implant relevant properties

Zirconium-based metallic glasses (Zr-MGs) are demonstrated to exhibit high mechanical strength, low elastic modulus and excellent biocompatibility, making them promising materials for endosseous implants. Meanwhile, tantalum (Ta) is also well known for its ideal corrosion resistance and biological effects. However, the metal has an elastic modulus as high as 186 GPa which is not comparable to the natural bone (10-30 GPa), and it also has a relative high cost. Here, to fully exploit the advantages of Ta as endosseous implants, a small amount of Ta (as low as 3 at. %) was successfully added into a Zr-MG to generate an advanced functional endosseous implant, Zr