Recent Advancements in Materials and Coatings for Biomedical Implants

Metallic materials such as stainless steel (SS), titanium (Ti), magnesium (Mg) alloys, andcobalt-chromium (Co-Cr) alloys are widely used as biomaterials for implant applications. Metallicimplants sometimes fail in surgeries due to inadequate biocompatibility, faster degradation rate(Mg-based alloys), inflammatory response, infections, inertness (SS, Ti, and Co-Cr alloys), lowercorrosion resistance, elastic modulus mismatch, excessive wear, and shielding stress. Therefore,to address this problem, it is necessary to develop a method to improve the biofunctionalizationof metallic implant surfaces by changing the materials’ surface and morphology without alteringthe mechanical properties of metallic implants. Among various methods, surface modification onmetallic surfaces by applying coatings is an effective way to improve implant material performance.In this review, we discuss the recent developments in ceramics, polymers, and metallic materialsused for implant applications. Their biocompatibility is also discussed. The recent trends in coatingsfor biomedical implants, applications, and their future directions were also discussed in detail