SBIR Phase II: Novel Titanium Tantalum Materials for Improved Biomedical Implants and Medical Devices

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will use Titanium-Tantalum (Ti-TA) alloys, with the objective that these materials will become commercial alloys used in orthopaedic and stinting devices. Ti-30Ta has potential as a highly biocompatible implant alloy with a modulus closer to that of bone (thus mitigating bone shielding), and is potentially less notch-sensitive than standard titanium implant alloys. This project will also demonstrate that advanced powder metallurgy can produce novel titanium alloys that are extremely difficult and prohibitively expensive to produce by other means. Critical material property data of these alloys will be generated that will lead medical device manufacturers to incorporate these alloys into specific devices and to conduct the necessary testing and clinical trials for commercial product release. The broader impacts from the use of Ti-Ta alloys will enable the development of improved medical devices that will last longer; are less invasive, promote faster patient recovery times and minimize the risk of adverse reactions. Advances in orthopedic and cardiovascular products will also significantly reduce short-term and long-term health care costs associated with such medical conditions and surgical procedures. Ti-Ta materials will also offer advantages for non-biomedical applications, in regard to mechanical properties as well as to shape memory and superelastic properties. For example, such materials can be expected to also offer improved properties such as resistance to corrosion, oxidation and high temperatures. Thus, availability of these alloys will be applicable to a wide variety of industrial, consumer and aerospace products in addition to biomedical applications, resulting in significant commercial potential.