The Tomsk University of Technology in Russia has developed a titanium alloy with the closest physical properties to bone tissue, which helps to produce high-quality implants to effectively repair damaged bones. Related research results were published in the journal "Biomaterials Science and Engineering".
Titanium is one of the most common materials for bone grafting, but it has serious drawbacks. Its elasticity, hardness and other physical and mechanical parameters greatly exceed those of bone tissue. In many cases, this results in too little mechanical load on the area where the graft protects the bone, causing it to gradually degenerate. In order to make up for the shortcomings of this material, Russian researchers have studied a series of titanium-niobium alloys and their surface nanostructure mechanisms.
Roman Chernozem, an engineer at the Research Center for Physical Materials and Composites at the Institute of Chemistry and Biomedical Technology of Tomsk University of Technology, said that after studying soft niobium-titanium alloys with niobium content ranging from 5% to 50%, they found that, A titanium alloy with a niobium content of 25% has the highest cell activity.
He explained that by fabricating titanium oxide nanotubes on the surface of the graft, the survival rate of the graft can be improved. Titanium oxide nanotubes can improve tissue proliferation and adhesion of cells to metal surfaces.
The center`s manager, Roman Surmenev, said that as the niobium content increases, the formation of oxide nanotubes on the surface of titanium alloys accelerates. Nanotubes grown by electrochemical anodization, due to their hollow structure, can be loaded on the implant surface before surgery to complete local drug delivery, such as antibiotics or growth factors.
Roman Surmienev further explained that by changing the niobium content and the parameters of electrochemical anodization, the geometric parameters, physical and mechanical properties of the nanotubes can be controlled, and implants with specific characteristics can be created to maximize clinical satisfaction. Target requirements.