Chemical surface modification of metallic biomaterials

Metallic biomaterials have been used enormously in biomedical devices and components, such as hard tissue replacements, cardiac and cardiovascular stents, etc., due to their desirable mechanical properties and biocompatibility. To improve the biological properties to meet the clinical requirements, chemical surface modification is often performed on the metallic biomaterials. This chapter reviews the various chemical surface modification methods of metallic biomaterials, including hydrogen peroxide treatment, acid treatment, alkali treatment, and thermal oxidation from the viewpoint of biomedical engineering. The appropriate chemical surface treatment can effectively expand the use of metallic biomaterials in the biomedical fields. Some of the recent applications are also discussed in this chapter.