Bioabsorbable metallic glass

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Bioresorbable (or bioabsorbable) metallic glass is a type of amorphous metal, which is based on the Mg-Zn-Ca ternary system. [1] Containing only elements which already exist inside the human body, namely Mg, Zn and Ca, these amorphous alloys are a special type of biodegradable metal. [2]

Contents

History

The first reported metallic glass was an alloy (Au
75Si
25) produced at Caltech by W. Klement (Jr.), Willens and Duwez in 1960. [3] This and other early glass-forming alloys had to be cooled extremely rapidly (in the order of one mega- kelvin per second, 106 K/s) to avoid crystallization. An important consequence of this was that metallic glasses could only be produced in a limited number of forms (typically ribbons, foils, or wires) in which one or more dimensions were small so that heat could be extracted quickly enough to achieve the necessary cooling rates. As a result, metallic glass specimens (with a few exceptions) were limited to thicknesses of less than one hundred micrometers.

Mg-Zn-Ca based metallic glasses are a relatively new group of amorphous metals, possessing commercial and technical advantages over early compositions. Gu and co-workers produced the first Mg-Zn-Ca BMG in 2005, reporting high glass forming ability, high strength and most importantly exceptional plasticity. This lanthanide-free, Mg-based glass attracted immediate interest due to its low density and cost, and particularly because of its uncharacteristically high ductility. This property was unexpected for such compositions, as the constituent elements are found to be of relatively low Poisson ratio, and hence contribute little to the inherent plasticity of the glass. This unlikely asset was seized upon by Li in 2008, who made use of the Poisson ratio principle and increased Mg content at the expense of Zn to further enhance plasticity. Further improvements were achieved by incremental addition of Ca to the Mg
72Zn
28 binary composition, producing numerous ternary alloys along the 350 °C isotherm of the Mg-Zn-Ca system.

Ternary Ca-Mg-Zn bulk metallic glasses were also discovered in 2005. [4] Similar to the Mg-Zn-Ca, these two amorphous alloys are both bioresorbable metallic glasses and are based on the same Mg-Zn-Ca ternary system. [1] The elements are displayed in order of decreasing atomic concentration. Hence, the distinction between these two metallic glasses lies in their most dominant element, namely Ca and Mg. These Ca-based bulk glassy alloys had compositions of Ca
55Mg
15+xZn
30-x, Ca
60Mg
10+yZn
30-y, and Ca
55+zMg
25-zZn
20, where x = 0, 5 and 10; y = 0, 5, 7.5, 10, and 15; and z = 0, 5, 7.5, 10, and 15. Critical casting thicknesses of up to 10 mm were achieved. [4]

Properties

Unlike traditional steel or titanium, this material dissolves in organisms at a rate of roughly 1 millimeter per month and is replaced with bone tissue. This speed can be adjusted by varying the content of zinc. [5]

Amorphous Ca65Zn20Mg15 alloy exhibits extremely poor corrosion resistance. Wang et al. [6] reported that the said amorphous alloy completely disintegrated after no more than 3 hours exposure in biocorrosion environment. In static distilled water at room temperature, Dahlman et al. [7] also reported destructive corrosion reactions of the same material, decomposing into a multiphase powder.

Ca-BMGs with higher Zn contents as reported by Cao et al. [8] showed an elastic modulus in the range of 35–46 GPa, and a hardness of 0.7–1.4 GPa.

Recent developments

Metallic glasses based on the Mg-Zn-Ca ternary alloy system only consist of the elements which already exist inside the human body. As such, it is being explored as a potential bioresorbable biomaterial for use in orthopaedic applications. [6] [8] [9] [10] [11]

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glass</span> Transparent non-crystalline solid material

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corrosion</span> Gradual destruction of materials by chemical reaction with its environment

Corrosion is a natural process that converts a refined metal into a more chemically stable oxide. It is the gradual deterioration of materials by chemical or electrochemical reaction with their environment. Corrosion engineering is the field dedicated to controlling and preventing corrosion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amorphous metal</span> Solid metallic material with disordered atomic-scale structure

An amorphous metal is a solid metallic material, usually an alloy, with disordered atomic-scale structure. Most metals are crystalline in their solid state, which means they have a highly ordered arrangement of atoms. Amorphous metals are non-crystalline, and have a glass-like structure. But unlike common glasses, such as window glass, which are typically electrical insulators, amorphous metals have good electrical conductivity and can show metallic luster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liquidmetal</span>

Liquidmetal and Vitreloy are commercial names of a series of amorphous metal alloys developed by a California Institute of Technology (Caltech) research team and marketed by Liquidmetal Technologies. Liquidmetal alloys combine a number of desirable material features, including high tensile strength, excellent corrosion resistance, very high coefficient of restitution and excellent anti-wearing characteristics, while also being able to be heat-formed in processes similar to thermoplastics. Despite the name, they are not liquid at room temperature.

Chalcogenide glass is a glass containing one or more chalcogens. Polonium is also a chalcogen but is not used because of its strong radioactivity. Chalcogenide materials behave rather differently from oxides, in particular their lower band gaps contribute to very dissimilar optical and electrical properties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bioglass 45S5</span> Bioactive glass biomaterial

Bioglass 45S5 or calcium sodium phosphosilicate, is a bioactive glass specifically composed of 45 wt% SiO2, 24.5 wt% CaO, 24.5 wt% Na2O, and 6.0 wt% P2O5. Typical applications of Bioglass 45S5 include: bone grafting biomaterials, repair of periodontal defects, cranial and maxillofacial repair, wound care, blood loss control, stimulation of vascular regeneration, and nerve repair.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bioactive glass</span> Surface reactive glass-ceramic biomaterial

Bioactive glasses are a group of surface reactive glass-ceramic biomaterials and include the original bioactive glass, Bioglass. The biocompatibility and bioactivity of these glasses has led them to be used as implant devices in the human body to repair and replace diseased or damaged bones. Most bioactive glasses are silicate-based glasses that are degradable in body fluids and can act as a vehicle for delivering ions beneficial for healing. Bioactive glass is differentiated from other synthetic bone grafting biomaterials, in that it is the only one with anti-infective and angiogenic properties.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nanocomposite</span> Solid material with nano-scale structure

Nanocomposite is a multiphase solid material where one of the phases has one, two or three dimensions of less than 100 nanometers (nm) or structures having nano-scale repeat distances between the different phases that make up the material.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glass transition</span> Reversible transition in amorphous materials

The glass–liquid transition, or glass transition, is the gradual and reversible transition in amorphous materials from a hard and relatively brittle "glassy" state into a viscous or rubbery state as the temperature is increased. An amorphous solid that exhibits a glass transition is called a glass. The reverse transition, achieved by supercooling a viscous liquid into the glass state, is called vitrification.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bioceramic</span> Type of ceramic materials that are biocompatible

Bioceramics and bioglasses are ceramic materials that are biocompatible. Bioceramics are an important subset of biomaterials. Bioceramics range in biocompatibility from the ceramic oxides, which are inert in the body, to the other extreme of resorbable materials, which are eventually replaced by the body after they have assisted repair. Bioceramics are used in many types of medical procedures. Bioceramics are typically used as rigid materials in surgical implants, though some bioceramics are flexible. The ceramic materials used are not the same as porcelain type ceramic materials. Rather, bioceramics are closely related to either the body's own materials or are extremely durable metal oxides.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bioresorbable stent</span> Medical stent that dissolves or is absorbed by the body

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Friction stir processing</span>

Friction stir processing (FSP) is a method of changing the properties of a metal through intense, localized plastic deformation. This deformation is produced by forcibly inserting a non-consumable tool into the workpiece, and revolving the tool in a stirring motion as it is pushed laterally through the workpiece. The precursor of this technique, friction stir welding, is used to join multiple pieces of metal without creating the heat affected zone typical of fusion welding.

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Bioresorbablemetals are metals or their alloys that degrade safely within the body. The primary metals in this category are magnesium-based and iron-based alloys, although recently zinc has also been investigated. Currently, the primary uses of bioresorbable metals are as stents for blood vessels and other internal ducts.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">High-entropy alloy</span> Alloys with high proportions of several metals

High-entropy alloys (HEAs) are alloys that are formed by mixing equal or relatively large proportions of (usually) five or more elements. Prior to the synthesis of these substances, typical metal alloys comprised one or two major components with smaller amounts of other elements. For example, additional elements can be added to iron to improve its properties, thereby creating an iron-based alloy, but typically in fairly low proportions, such as the proportions of carbon, manganese, and others in various steels. Hence, high-entropy alloys are a novel class of materials. The term "high-entropy alloys" was coined by Taiwanese scientist Jien-Wei Yeh because the entropy increase of mixing is substantially higher when there is a larger number of elements in the mix, and their proportions are more nearly equal. Some alternative names, such as multi-component alloys, compositionally complex alloys and multi-principal-element alloys are also suggested by other researchers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alain Reza Yavari</span> French chemistry and physical metallurgy scholar

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nanostructured film</span>

A nanostructured film is a film resulting from engineering of nanoscale features, such as dislocations, grain boundaries, defects, or twinning. In contrast to other nanostructures, such as nanoparticles, the film itself may be up to several microns thick, but possesses a large concentration of nanoscale features homogeneously distributed throughout the film. Like other nanomaterials, nanostructured films have sparked much interest as they possess unique properties not found in bulk, non-nanostructured material of the same composition. In particular, nanostructured films have been the subject of recent research due to their superior mechanical properties, including strength, hardness, and corrosion resistance compared to regular films of the same material. Examples of nanostructured films include those produced by grain boundary engineering, such as nano-twinned ultra-fine grain copper, or dual phase nanostructuring, such as crystalline metal and amorphous metallic glass nanocomposites.

Titanium foams exhibit high specific strength, high energy absorption, excellent corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. These materials are ideally suited for applications within the aerospace industry. An inherent resistance to corrosion allows the foam to be a desirable candidate for various filtering applications. Further, titanium's physiological inertness makes its porous form a promising candidate for biomedical implantation devices. The largest advantage in fabricating titanium foams is that the mechanical and functional properties can be adjusted through manufacturing manipulations that vary porosity and cell morphology. The high appeal of titanium foams is directly correlated to a multi-industry demand for advancement in this technology.

References

  1. 1 2 Mg-Zn-Ca ternary system
  2. ↑ Ibrahim, H.; Esfahani, S. N.; Poorganji, B.; Dean, D.; Elahinia, M. (January 2017). "Resorbable bone fixation alloys, forming, and post-fabrication treatments". Materials Science and Engineering: C. 70 (1): 870–888. doi: 10.1016/j.msec.2016.09.069 . PMID   27770965.
  3. ↑ Klement, W.; Willens, R. H.; Duwez, POL (1960). "Non-crystalline structure in solidified gold-silicon Alloys". Nature. 187 (4740): 869–870. Bibcode:1960Natur.187..869K. doi:10.1038/187869b0. S2CID   4203025.
  4. 1 2 Senkov, O.N.; Scott, J.M. (2005). "Glass forming ability and thermal stability of ternary Ca-Mg-Zn bulk metallic glasses". Journal of Non-Crystalline Solids. 351 (37–39): 3087–3094. Bibcode:2005JNCS..351.3087S. doi:10.1016/j.jnoncrysol.2005.07.022.
  5. ↑ "Fixing bones with dissolvable glass". PhysicsWorld. Oct 1, 2009.
  6. 1 2 Wang, Y.B.; et al. (2011). "Biodegradable CaMgZn bulk metallic glass for potential skeletal application". Acta Biomaterialia. 7 (8): 3196–3208. doi:10.1016/j.actbio.2011.04.027. PMID   21571105.
  7. ↑ Dahlman, J.; Senkov, O.N.; Scott, J.M.; Miracle, D.B. (2007). "Corrosion properties of Ca based bulk metallic glasses" (PDF). Materials Transactions. 48 (7): 1850–1854. doi: 10.2320/matertrans.mj200732 .
  8. 1 2 Cao, J.D.; et al. (2012). "Ca–Mg–Zn bulk metallic glasses as bioresorbable metals". Acta Biomaterialia. 8 (6): 2375–2383. doi:10.1016/j.actbio.2012.03.009. PMID   22406910.
  9. ↑ Mills, Georgie. "Mending broken bones with glass". Australia Unlimited. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  10. ↑ "BMGs for Electronic, Biomedical and Aerospace Applications". University of New South Wales. Apr 28, 2010. Archived from the original on 2013-01-05.
  11. ↑ Kirkland, N.T. (2012). "Magnesium biomaterials: Past, present and future". Corrosion Engineering, Science and Technology. 47 (5): 322–328. doi:10.1179/1743278212Y.0000000034. hdl: 10069/29852 . S2CID   135864605.
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