Surface analysis of Ti–15Zr–4Nb–4Ta alloy after implantation in rat tibia

A new Ti–15Zr–4Nb–4Ta alloy without V was implanted in rat tibiae for 6–48 weeks. The new bone formation surrounding the Ti implant in bone marrow, surface analysis of the Ti alloy after implantation, and metal concentrations in dried bone tissue containing new bone were investigated. New bone was well formed around the Ti–15Zr–4Nb–4Ta alloy implanted in bone marrow. The mean thickness of the new bone increased up to 24 weeks after implantation, and changes in the mean thickness thereafter, up to 48 weeks, were very small. The number of corrosion pits observed in the Ti–6Al–4V extra low interstitial (ELI) alloy surface tended to be slightly more than that of the Ti–15Zr–4Nb–4Ta alloy implant. The concentrations of metal elements in the bone tissue containing the new bone tended to increase slightly more than in bones without the implant.