Titanium biomedical foams for osseointegration

This chapter describes the state of the art of titanium foam for tissue attachment and, in particular, for implant osseointegration as the final application for bone tissue reconstruction. The chapter first introduces a description of the titanium alloys used for biomedical applications. Next, a section on the processing techniques for the foaming of the titanium or titanium alloys, as well as the surface treatments for the control of physical and chemical surface properties, is given. This overview aims at emphasizing the range of technological approaches to obtain functional biomedical foams. A section on methods for endowing titanium surfaces with biomolecules for tissue integration is also included. Finally, a survey on tissue response to material implantation is presented, with a focus on the titanium interfaces previously described. © 2014 Woodhead Publishing Limited. All rights reserved.