Metals, with their strength and durability, are still regarded as the go-to material for many medical devices. Advantages of using metals include strength, a sterile surface, fracture toughness, electrical conductivity and the combination of both elasticity and rigidity. This is particularly important for metals used in stents (used in blood vessels for dilatation) as they require some elasticity for expansion while also remaining rigid when dilated. Most important is safety, and metals implanted in tissues must not show any toxicity or metal ion dissolution by corrosion or wear.
