Tantalum metal - the human body's "metallophile"

Metallic materials are widely used in clinical medicine due to their high applicability to mechanical properties and fatigue resistance, and are suitable for implantation of bearing components. A variety of metal materials such as stainless steel, titanium-based and cobalt-based alloys have been widely used clinically and achieved certain therapeutic effects.

However, the complex human environment may cause material corrosion and lead to the release of toxic substances, which greatly reduces the biocompatibility of metallic materials. In addition, the elastic modulus of some metal materials is too different from that of human bone tissue, which is not conducive to the growth and remodeling of new bone, and easily leads to secondary fractures. These unfavorable conditions limit the application of metallic materials as biomedical materials.

Tantalum has excellent mechanical properties and anti-fatigue properties, so it is widely used clinically, especially in the field of orthopedics, where it can replace human bone tissue to play a load-bearing role, and has achieved remarkable clinical results. In terms of strength, biocompatibility and stability with human tissue, tantalum metal materials have more advantages than artificial implants of traditional metal materials, so the development of tantalum metal in the medical field has broader prospects. Tantalum has good corrosion resistance and good biocompatibility. At room temperature, tantalum will not react with hydrochloric acid, concentrated nitric acid or even aqua regia, and ordinary inorganic salts will not corrode it. Unlike traditional medical metal materials, biological tissue will grow on tantalum after implantation for a period of time, just like growing on real bone. Therefore tantalum is also called "metallophilic".

At the same time, tantalum has an appropriate elastic modulus. The elastic modulus of tantalum with a special pore structure is between human cancellous bone and cortical bone. It is especially suitable for bone replacement, joint replacement and human tissue filling.