According to a recent market research report, the global medical composites market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 6.91% from 2016 to 2020.
As a medical carbon material, research started in the 1960s. At that time, carbon materials were found to have excellent anticoagulant properties in the research of anticoagulant materials for artificial blood vessels. l After 70 and 70 years, Bokros's pioneering work on carbon materials as a biomedical device attracted widespread attention. Studies have shown that carbon materials have good biocompatibility, low irritation to living tissues, non-toxic, non-carcinogenic, small specific gravity, and similar elastic modulus to human bones, which have potential advantages as fourth-generation implant materials.
Functional fibers, intelligent fibers and some high-performance fibers in high-tech fibers have been widely used in various fields of medicine. Among them, medical-grade carbon fibers and composite materials, hollow fiber separation membranes, nanofibers and non-woven fabrics, carbon nanotubes, various individual functional fibers, and a series of newly emerging smart fibers for sensing and detection are all medical An important breed of field.
Application fields of medical fiber:
Dental restoration
In the past ten years, in Europe and the United States, non-metal prosthetic-pre-fibrous post systems have been increasingly used in clinical practice, and are gradually considered to be effective alternatives to traditional metal post-core systems to repair tooth roots and crowns. The research on the physical and chemical properties and biological properties of carbon fiber posts shows that carbon fiber posts have more mechanical properties that match the tooth structure. Its elastic modulus, which is similar to that of dentin, can make the stress more uniformly distributed along the post body, which is conducive to protection. Tooth root; at the same time, it has many advantages such as good biocompatibility and corrosion resistance; easy to remove, and convenient for secondary repair.
Bone repair material
Shanghai Jieshijie New Materials Co., Ltd. has developed continuous carbon fiber or its felt-reinforced plastic for bone repair. The resin matrix uses polymethyl methacrylate. The mass fraction and rational test of carbon fiber have proved to be in compliance with national standards and have good biological properties. Compatibility, long-term implantation in living organisms has no adverse reactions to biological tissues, blood and cerebrospinal fluid, and no rejection reactions, so it is suitable for fracture fixation materials or fracture internal fixation or bone repair materials.
Hollow fiber separation membrane
Hollow fiber separation membrane plays an important role in the medical field. More than 95% of the hollow fiber dialysis membrane (artificial kidney) is a hollow fiber type; currently the world's largest manufacturer of hollow fiber dialysis membranes is the German Fresenius Healthcare Company. The hollow fiber material used is polysulfone. Hollow fiber artificial lung: The hollow fiber membrane for gas separation can increase the oxygen concentration in the air from 21% to 30% to 40%, and is used for medical emergency. The largest manufacturer is American Air Products and Chemicals, which uses polysulfone hollow fiber membranes under the trade name "Prism". In addition, there is an innovative membrane system adopted by Praxair in the United States, and a coated polysulfone membrane is used for the hollow fiber material.
Regenerative medicine and wound healing
The goal of regenerative medicine is to improve, repair or exchange human tissues or organs, and the foothold of nanofibers is to fix the enzyme or catalyst of regenerative medicine on the wounded area, that is, as a bed bandage or a substrate suitable for artificial blood vessels It can also be used as a barrier to prevent adhesion to the wound after surgery, and a medium to control the drug delivery system. Electrospinning nanofibers and fiber webs used in regenerative medicine must consider the choice of materials, fiber orientation, porosity, surface modification, application of tissue structure, etc., and those with biological adaptability and biological functions can be selected. Natural polymers such as collagen, alginate, silk protein, hyaluronan, fibrinogen, chitosan, starch, etc. At the same time, it can be mixed with synthetic polymers to improve the interchangeability of cells. For example, a polylactic acid-glycolic acid copolymer (PLGA) fiber mesh made by electrostatic spinning has a porosity of more than 90%, a large surface area, and cells are easily attached to form high-density bioactive molecules. Nanofibers with different diameters form many uneven bonding points, so they are ideal base materials for regenerative medicine and can be applied to the regeneration of various cells contained in blood vessels, bones, nerves, tendons, ligaments, etc.
Medical auxiliary equipment
Including: ① X-ray, CT and B ultrasound bed: carbon fiber composite material; ② headrest for diagnostic bed: carbon fiber composite material; ③ lightweight wheelchair and stretcher: carbon fiber composite material; ④ drug dynamic test device and preventive medicine components.
At the Japan Medical Device Design and Manufacturing Exhibition in 2015, Teijin Group demonstrated its carbon fiber composite materials in the medical field: carbon fiber stents for brain surgery applications
In brain surgery, the stand-like fruit used to fix the patient's head is made of metal. However, the metal itself is punctured by x-rays, which can interfere with brain angiography and affect doctors' reading. However, in order to ensure that the loyalty of the loyalty is shaken during brain surgery, the fixed main frame guard must ensure sufficient rigidity. For this reason, the company uses carbon fiber composites that are comparable to or even more worrying about metal stiffness. Made of carbon fiber and polyamideimide resin, it has the least influence on the penetration of x-rays. In addition to this, carbon fiber is conductive but non-magnetic.
First aid and therapeutic supplies
① Medical oxygen enrichment: hollow fiber used for gas separation, so that the oxygen concentration in the air is increased from 21% to 30% to 40%; ② plasma exchange treatment: hollow fiber membrane element; ③ ascites concentration treatment: hollow fiber dialyzer; ④ uremic Treatment: Hollow fiber dialyzer; ⑤ Extraction of Echinococcus toxin from E. coli Genetic factors: Conductive hollow fiber; ⑥ Medical hydrogen peroxide: Concentration of hydrogen peroxide with hollow fiber gas separation membrane.
Surgical sutures include: ① medical sutures: ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene fibers, etc .; ② absorptive or self-degradable sutures: body-absorbable fibers and self-degradable fibers. Hospital nursing supplies include: ① surgical cover cloth: bacteria-proof and breathable ultra-fine fiber nonwoven fabric; ② special surgical clothing: ultra-fine fiber nonwoven fabric and disposable self-degrading fiber fabric; ③ special patient clothing: antibacterial deodorizing fiber and Disposable microbial degradation fiber; ④ Bedding: antibacterial deodorizing fiber and microbial degradation fiber; ⑤ special masks: activated carbon fiber, ultra-fine fiber nonwoven fabric and felt and bamboo carbon fiber.
Drug controlled release carrier
By selecting this material, the most effective drug delivery effect can be achieved, reducing the number and frequency of drug supply, and improving the utilization rate. For example, the anticancer drugs paclitaxel and doxorubicin are embedded in nano PLA fibers to improve the efficacy.
With the continuous improvement of modern surgical medical technology, the demand for biomaterials that can be implanted in the human body is also increasing. Such application conditions require that the material has mechanical properties capable of performing certain functions on the one hand, and it also requires implantation The prosthesis can meet the requirements of biocompatibility. For any artificial material to meet these two requirements at the same time, there is considerable difficulty and complexity. This is exactly the problem that must be solved in the research of biomedical materials.
It is not difficult to see that high-tech fibers are widely used in medicine and related health care fields, medical devices, etc. New composite materials have regularly entered the market, and new medical fields are continuously expanding and new medical fibers are being developed. In terms of the gap between China and developed countries, especially the United States, Japan, and Germany, China should increase R & D investment in major medical fibers and new medical fields, and gradually realize the commercialization and localization of major varieties and their products. Laying a solid foundation for entering the world's medical fiber powerhouse.