This article discussed the development and evaluation of Nitinol devices for the treatment of critical congenital heart diseases in pediatric patients. Devices made with superelastic Nitinol offer flexibility and minimally invasive surgical alternatives for delicate and tortuous vessel anatomy, though further development is needed to accommodate device growth as children develop.

Both shape memory and elastocaloric effects are related to the reversible martensitic phase transformation. For the shape memory effect, thermal energy is used to drive the material through the phase transformation and recover its original shape. For the elastocaloric effect, mechanical energy is used to induce phase transformation, and the associated latent heat is used to pump heat for cooling or heating. Heat pumps based on the elastocaloric effect have a low environmental impact and are highly efficient. However, designing a prototype to harvest the full potential of the elastocaloric effect has been challenging. This article summarizes prototyping efforts undertaken by three different research groups.

This article reports on a multifaceted testing and modeling approach to investigate the fatigue life of medical grade Nitinol to one billion cycles. The goal of a the research is to understand the mechanism of Nitinol ultra-high cycle fatigue and to eventually be able to predict when fracture will occur.

Using a physical vapor deposition process to manufacture medical device components reduces post-processing time and improves materials properties. This article addresses metallic sputter deposition technologies for Nitinol medical devices.

Nitinol fatigue fracture surfaces generally exhibit similar features to most engineering alloys, including a flat fracture plane, ratchet marks, radial lines, beachmarks, and striations.

New FDA guidance for Nitinol used in medical devices includes clarification on the determination of safety factors, the requirements for corrosion testing, and proper labeling of potentially harmful elements.

The effects of Nitinol micropurity on the durability of superficial femoral artery stents offers a potential way to enhance durability and reduce fatigue fractures. This article describes recent work on superior grades of “microclean” Nitinol and the effects on fatigue and durability of the devices.

Newly developed nickel-titanium (NiTi) alloys are well suited for bearings and gears in demanding applications.

Dissimilar metals, each with their own special properties, can be integrated into a single composite wire to achieve a functionally driven design. Simultaneously strong, stiff, and superelastic guidewires that provide proximal stiffness and distal flexibility for medical applications are discussed in this article.

4D printing enables fabrication of complex objects that transform over time (the fourth dimension) when subjected to external stimuli. 4D printing of metallic functional materials is of special interest due to their capacity for self-assembly and multifunctionality, with the added benefit of higher actuation capability, in comparison with polymeric materials.

A new solid-state joining process for medical guidewire applications increases joint strength, provides superior bending properties, and does not require tertiary metals or ferrules. This process may be a superior method to create joints between dissimilar metals such as stainless steel and Nitinol.