New Technology of the University of Jena: “Lava” can improve implants – Thüringer Allgemeine

develop 10:08

Materials scientists at the University of Jena – "2016-02-14 10:08:00 GMT"> 02/14/2016 ceramic materials further. New technology makes implants strong and durable.

Jena. Whether hip replacement or dental implant, “spare parts” in the human body must not only be stable and well tolerated, and durable as possible. So far come in arthroplasty especially implants of polymers and ceramics or polymers and metal for use. But some patients react with inflammation in polymer abrasion, which can limit the durability of the implant. Increasingly, therefore, find other combinations of materials application, such as ceramics from zirconium and aluminum oxide. “However, there is of such ceramics in their characteristics as high as possible fracture toughness, strength and aging resistance still considerable potential for optimization,” says Frank A. Müller from the Friedrich Schiller University Jena . The material scientist and his team have now , a method developed by partners of the Spanish Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales in Madrid, with the quality of zirconia / alumina ceramics can significantly improve.

evaporated powder first, then baked

In the just released edition of the online magazine “Scientific Reports” imagine ceramics that are significantly stronger, tougher and more resistant to aging than the previously available materials on the market. the mechanical properties of zirconia / alumina ceramics depend on the mixture of the starting material and the granularity of the material. “Stabilized with yttrium zirconia have a high mechanical stability and are resistant to the propagation of cracks,” explains Müller . In combination with alumina, which ensures minimal abrasion to materials can be produced which are outstandingly suitable as implants. “The more homogenous the mixture, and the finer the granularity, the more stable the resulting material.” With their process, the Jena scientists put on exactly these two points. As raw materials for the ceramics are fine powders of yttrium, zirconium and aluminum oxide, which are homogeneously mixed. The powder mixture is vaporized by means of a CO2 laser. This “laser vaporization” – short “Lava” – said method forming from about 6000 degrees Celsius hot steam during cooling tiny droplets that solidify into nanoparticles, in which the individual ingredients are in turn distributed homogeneously These average 20 nanometers small particles are then sintered – ie the actual ceramic “baked”. These beds material scientists the nanoparticles in a form of carbon, which is heated with electric current at high pressure to over 1000 degrees Celsius. After a few minutes, the ceramic component, such as components for hip or knee joints, finished. As the researchers show in the publication has now been presented, this process leads to a very homogeneous ceramics with very fine grain.

implants “The mechanical properties are significantly improved” solid and unbreakable

, it brings Müller to the point. Thus, the fracture toughness of zirconia ceramics was compared to currently available implants to more than double. In addition, the strength of the materials increases by about 50 percent. So far, the Jena scientists and their Spanish colleagues have simple geometries of these new materials only prepared on a laboratory scale. “However, the production on a large scale for practical applications is quite possible”, Müller is sure.

Ute Schoenfelder / 14:02:16 / OTZ

Z0R0013946517