Corrosion behavior, in vitro and in vivo biocompatibility of a newly developed Ti–16Nb–3Mo–1Sn superelastic alloy

The biocompatibility of a recently developed Ni-free Ti–16Nb–3Mo–1Sn (at.%) superelastic alloy was investigated both in vitro and in vivo. In addition, static water contact angle (WCA) and electrochemical tests were carried out. Commercial purity Ti (cp-Ti), which is already being used as a clinical material, was used as the control material. The alloy showed a stable corrosion behavior similar to that of the cp-Ti. The WCA measurements showed that the alloy exhibited hydrophilic properties that contributed to cell attachment to implants, as evident by the cytocompatibility tests. According to the in vivo implantation tests conducted on 30 adult BALB/c rats for periods up to 12 weeks, the tissue reaction around the implants was similar for both the cp-Ti and the alloy, and no significant difference was found in almost all parameters analyzed. Due to its stable superelastic properties accompanied with excellent biocompatibility and high corrosion resistance, we believe that this alloy is considered as a promising substitute for the biomedical materials containing Ni or other toxic elements. [Display omitted] •The Ti–16Nb–3Mo–1Sn superelastic alloy proved an excellent corrosion resistance.•The murine fibroblasts and osteoblastic cells grew well on alloy's surface.•Hydrophilicity of the alloy contributed well to cell attachment to implants.•The alloy showed an excellent in vivo biocompatibility in all rats tested.