German scientists have recently developed a titanium foam metal material that can be successfully applied to human bone implants, so that titanium metal can better promote bone growth and enhance bone stiffness. This is similar to the extension of the metal claws in the hands of the "Wolverine" in the sci-fi movie "X-Men."
According to the British New Scientist magazine, people who have seen the sci-fi movie "X-Men" will clearly remember the "Wolverine", he can stretch out the sharp metal claws from the bones as an attack weapon. . Recently, German scientists have successfully developed a titanium foam material that can be used for bone replacement and bone reinforcement in patients with bone damage, which means that "Wolverine" is no longer alone or will become a reality.
German scientists develop titanium foam materials to cultivate "Wolverine" bones
German scientists have successfully developed a titanium foam that can be used for bone replacement and bone reinforcement in patients with bone damage, which would mean that Wolverine is no longer alone or will become a reality.
Previously, scientists used solid metal materials for human bone implants, mainly titanium. Although the human body can accept titanium, this bone implant can cause much harder than human bones. Ultimately, the bone implantation method of this method will put more load on the human bones. Peter Quadbeck of the Franz and Advanced Materials Research and Manufacturing Process Society in Dresden, Germany, points out that in the worst case, the reduced pressure of titanium on human bones will cause the situation to deteriorate. Titanium metal implants are loose and must undergo a second titanium implant surgery.
Quaid Beck and colleagues have recently developed a foam-like bone implanted with titanium, and their design is inspired by the skeletal sponge. The titanium foam implant method is more effective than the solid titanium implant method, and can more effectively match the skeletal mechanical properties, such as: skeletal elasticity, and the foamed titanium metal can also stimulate human bone growth more effectively.
The titanium foam material is a porous structure, so that after implantation in the human body, the bone can grow around the titanium foam material and eventually bind to the bone. The titanium foam uses a polyurethane foam impregnated with a titanium powder and a binder solution, and the titanium metal adheres to the polyurethane structure, after which the polyurethane and the binder evaporate together, and finally the titanium metal skeleton is implanted to become stronger.
Although this titanium foam has been applied to the human body, Quaid Baker and colleagues are currently working with physicists to explore how to expand their adaptability for the treatment of certain bone injuries. Peter Lee, of the Department of Materials at London's Imperial College, is very interested in this latest study. He pointed out that implanting titanium foam into human bones may be a promising study, such as between damaged bones. "Bridge treatment" for longer voids.
Zhao Yuyuan, a materials engineer at the University of Liverpool in the UK, stressed that if someone has some problems with their bones, the titanium foam bone implant method will make the human bones recover better.