Review on the mechanical properties and biocompatibility of titanium implant: The role of niobium alloying element

Abstract Biomedical titanium alloys with elastic moduli close to that of cortical bone have gained great attention in the field of bone implantation. A low modulus is desirable in an implant to prevent stress shielding, which usually leads to critical clinical issues, such as bone resorption and implant loosening. The use of β-type titanium with nontoxic alloying elements, such as niobium, as a novel candidate of implant material for replacing failed hard tissues has shown great potential. This review describes a titanium implant application alloyed with niobium and the mechanical properties and bioactivity of various titanium alloys sintered at different temperatures.