New Metal Alloy Could Revolutionize Prosthetics
A team of researchers at Rice University have devised a new metal alloy that could revolutionize how prosthetics are designed. According to IFLScience.com, a team of researchers led by Emilia Morosan combined titanium and gold to develop an alloy 4 times stronger than pure titanium that can also be used “in tandem with living tissue.”
Titanium is the leading material for artificial knee and hip joints because it’s strong, wear-resistant and nontoxic. But it does eventually degrade, resulting in implants needing to be replaced after 10 years. Morosan in a statement this compound isn’t difficult to make and it isn’t a new material, however “due to a couple of lucky breaks” Morosan and her co-authors are the first to document the material (beta titanium-3 gold) in the journal Science Advances.
Currently, conventional knee and hip implants have to be replaced after 10 years due to wear and tear. A BBC article states that “the hardness of the substance, togther with its higher biocompatibility, [makes beta titanium-3 gold) a ‘next generation compound for substantively extending the lifetime of dental implants and replacement joints.'” This article also states the alloy may have additional applications in the drilling industry, the sporting goods industry, and others.
