WHAT ARE BIOMATERIALS?

Biomaterials may be natural or synthetic and are used in medical applications to support, enhance, or replace damaged tissue or a biological function. The first historical use of biomaterials dates to antiquity, when ancient Egyptians used sutures made from animal sinew. The modern field of biomaterials combines medicine, biology, physics, and chemistry, and more recent influences from tissue engineering and materials science. The field has grown significantly in the past decade due to discoveries in tissue engineering, regenerative medicine, and more.

TYPES

-Metals: Its advantages are resistance to high impact efforts, high wear resistance and its disadvantages are low biocompatibility, corrosion in physiological media, high density, loss of mechanical properties with soft connective tissues. Some examples are orthopedic fixation: screws, nails, plates, wires, intermedullary bars or dental implants.

-Ceramics: Bioceramics are complex chemical compounds containing metallic and non-metallic elements. Due to their ionic or covalent bonds, they are generally hard and brittle.Its advantages are good biocompatibility, resistance to high corrosion and it is inert.

Its disadvantages include high-impact stress fracture, difficult fabrication, low mechanical strength, inelastic, and high density.

-Polymers: There is a wide variety of biocompatible polymers: natural polymers, such as cellulose, glucosaline, etc.; and synthetic polymers, such as ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, PVC, nylon, silicone, etc. The development of biopolymers in applications includes facial prosthetics, hearing aid parts, dental applications; pacemakers, kidneys, liver and lungs.

Their advantages are that they are elastic, have low density and are easy to manufacture, but the disadvantages are that they have low mechanical resistance and degrade over time.

WHERE THEY ARE FOUND:

In metals, ceramics, plastic, glass, and even living cells and tissues can be used to create biomaterials. 

THE USE OF BIOMATERIALS:

They are used for medical implants including heart valves, grafts, artificial joints, hearing loss implants, dental implants, and nerve-stimulating devices. They are also used for the application of methods to promote the healing of human tissues and regenerate the tissues. Biomaterials can also be used for molecular probes and nanoparticles that break down biological barriers and aid in cancer diagnosis and therapy at the molecular level, biosensors, used to monitor blood glucose and brain activity sensors and is also used for medication administration systems. 

TEDxBigApple - Robert Langer - Biomaterials for the 21st Century - YouTube