Surface engineering of medical titanium alloy: A review

Medical titanium alloys are widely used in fields such as orthopedic implants, dental implants, and cardiovascular devices due to their excellent mechanical properties, biocompatibility, and corrosion resistance. However, the poor wear resistance and high biological inertness can lead to insufficient osseointegration and implant failure, limiting the long-term clinical efficacy. To improve the integration performance between implants and host tissues, various surface modification techniques have emerged and continue to evolve. This paper systematically reviews the commonly used surface modification methods for medical titanium alloys from two major aspects: mechanical/physical methods and chemical/electrochemical methods. A comparative analysis of these methods is presented, focusing on their modification mechanisms, process parameters, surface morphological and structural characteristics, and the consequent effects on performance enhancement. The results demonstrate that these methods can significantly enhance the properties of titanium and its alloys through surface optimization. Future development trends lie in combining the strengths of two or more surface modification technologies to build higher-performance composite coatings by leveraging the complementary advantages.