Radiopaque Shape Memory Alloys: NiTi-Er with Stable Superelasticity

Binary NiTi alloy is one of the most important biomaterials currently used in minimally invasive procedures and indwelling devices. The poor visibility of intermetallic NiTi under X-ray could be an unsatisfactory feature especially for developing low-dimensional implantable devices for the body. It is a matter of fact that the alloying of a third radiopaque element, such as noble or heavy metals, in NiTi can significantly enhance the alloy's radiopacity. Recently, it was demonstrated that the addition of a rare earth element such as Erbium has led to an equivalent radiopacity at a much lower cost than the equivalent addition of noble metals. This work reviews the main physical aspects related to the radiopacity of NiTi alloys and compares the radiopacity of NiTi-Er compositions with other NiTi-based alloys containing Pd, Pt, W and Cr. Furthermore, a NiTi-6Er alloy is produced by spark plasma sintering, and successfully processed by conventional hot and cold working procedures to a continuous wire showing stable superelastic behaviour (up to 4 % in strain), suitable for developing biomedical devices.