Recent advances in bulk metallic glasses for biomedical applications

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Materials Engineering
• Biomedical Engineering

Background:

• The aging global population drives demand for advanced biomaterials.
• Bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) offer enhanced mechanical and biomedical properties over crystalline metals.
• BMGs possess unique amorphous structures leading to superior strength, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent developments and advances in bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) for biomedical applications.
• To critically analyze the current status, challenges, and future prospects of biomedical BMGs.
• To discuss various BMG alloying systems, including Ti-, Zr-, Fe-, Mg-, Zn-, Ca-, and Sr-based systems.

Main Methods:

• Comprehensive literature review of recent advancements in biomedical BMGs.
• Analysis of different BMG alloying systems and their properties.
• Discussion of challenges such as brittleness and size limitations.

Main Results:

• BMGs exhibit excellent mechanical properties (high strength, low Young's modulus) and corrosion resistance.
• Various alloying systems (Ti, Zr, Fe, Mg, Zn, Ca, Sr) show promise for biomedical applications.
• Key challenges include overcoming brittleness and increasing glass-forming ability for larger BMG sizes.

Conclusions:

• BMGs are promising next-generation biomaterials with significant advantages over conventional metallic implants.
• Future research should focus on enhancing BMG properties, addressing brittleness, and ensuring biocompatibility.
• Developing larger, safer, and higher-quality BMGs will be crucial for clinical translation.