Current advances in enhancement of wear and corrosion resistance of titanium alloys - a review

Titanium alloys have created a biomedical revolution in the past three decades and several research works are being carried out globally to combat the day to day challenges posed by the biomedical industries to meet the needs of a patient-friendly implant. Enhancement of corrosion and wear resistance of titanium alloys serve as the major treat for the stability of implant material after implantation. These problems could be overcome through various objectives, one among them being alloying titanium with non-toxic beta-stabilizer elements to both increase the surface-related properties and improve biocompatibility. Other objectives include surface engineering methods such as coating, oxidation, nanograined surface and laser texturing. Overall, in this article an attempt has been made to bring out the current advances in the development of highly stable Ti-alloys with superior corrosion and wear resistance through various processes has been reviewed in detail.