General Description
Titanium, some people say it is a kind of mineral rock, some people think of the Internet buzzword "titanium alloy eyes", some people guess that it can be used as an industrial material, and of course some people ask: What is titanium? Although some of the properties of titanium are not well known to the public, this does not prevent it from making a big difference. Recently, it has been made into an "artificial brain" by 3D printing technology to replace the human skull.
Why can titanium be used as an "artificial brain"? Is it reliable to use titanium products as medical materials? What is the difference compared with other materials? What bottlenecks are encountered in promotion? What other uses does titanium have?
Why can titanium be implanted in the human body?
Non-toxic, corrosion-resistant, good elasticity, high strength
Implant requirements:
Implanting substances into the human body requires several conditions. First, the substance must be non-toxic and have no adverse reactions with the human body. Second, it must not be corrosive. Third, if it is used as a bone substitute, it must be strong and fatigue-resistant, and its elastic modulus must be close to that of human bones.
Titanium alloys are increasingly used in medicine for artificial bone transplants. What makes titanium stand out from many alternative materials?
The bone replacement metals used in the past, such as stainless steel, mostly have a very high elastic modulus, which does not match the elastic modulus of bones. As a result, the load cannot be well transferred from the implant to the adjacent bone tissue, resulting in a "stress shielding" phenomenon, which leads to bone absorption around the implant, local osteoporosis, and ultimately implant loosening or nearby bone fracture.
Titanium is one of the few elemental metals that is harmless to the human body. At present, titanium may be the best bone replacement material for the human body.", "Especially some newly invented low-modulus titanium alloys, whose elastic modulus is very close to that of human bones, so they will not produce stress shielding and cause problems such as osteoporosis to the human body, and they do not need to be replaced every few years like other bone products. This type of alloy has very good compatibility with human body mechanics and will deform with the deformation of the body's own bones.
What are the risks of implanting titanium into the human body? Biocompatibility is key
The alloy has excellent specific strength and good high-temperature performance. Therefore, in aerospace, it is not only used to manufacture aircraft structural parts, but also widely used in engines. It can also be used to manufacture high-pressure containers, such as high-pressure gas cylinders. Titanium has good corrosion resistance, which makes it often used in chemical and other fields; titanium's high strength, durability and good decorative properties also make it suitable for use in automobiles and construction. At the same time, titanium oxide titanium dioxide has a photocatalytic effect and can decompose certain harmful pollutants. It is being widely used in building exterior wall coatings and other aspects. "
When will titanium products enter the homes of ordinary people?
One is to develop new medical titanium products with high quality and low price, so that ordinary people can afford them. The scale itself will reduce the cost.
In addition, the cooperation of material workers and medical workers is needed to apply titanium and titanium alloys to clinical practice more and faster.
The corrosion rate of titanium is very low, and in many cases its corrosion rate can be almost ignored, which not only reduces recycling costs, but also reduces resource waste and pollution.
Originally published in Science and Technology Daily, 2013-05-010, Page 05
