Biomaterials- MEE 220

Lecture 1
1- Overview
Many materials are subjected to forces or loads when in use. In such situations, it is necessary to
know the characteristics of the material and to design the member in order to avoid failure during
the expected life and service environment of the material. Key mechanical design properties are
stiffness, strength, hardness, ductility, and toughness. Factors to be considered include the nature
of the applied load and its duration, as well as the environmental conditions. The applied loads
could be tensile, compressive, or shear and their magnitudes may be constant with time or may
fluctuate continuously. Application time may be only a fraction of a second, or it may extend over
a period of many years. There are many important factors. In this course, we will introduce how
the various mechanical properties, surface properties are measured and what these properties
represent.in addition to many application and state advanced materials used in field.

By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:

 mechanical properties, practical tests

 Define stress and strain.
 Define elastic region, plastic region, fracture point, elasticity, tensile strength, and the
yield strength.
 Given a stress-strain diagram, determine elastic region, plastic region, fracture point,
elasticity, tensile strength, and the yield strength.
 Distinguish between tensile, compressive, shear, and torsional stress.
 Define hardness, resilience, and toughness.
 Evaluate whether a material is ductile or brittle using a stress-strain diagram.

 Know what government body regulates medical devices;

 Be able to differentiate between the various classes of medical devices from a regulatory
perspective and be able to provide examples of each class of device;
 Understand what is meant by biocompatibility testing and why it is a necessary consideration in
the manufacture of medical devices;
 Understand what is meant by the phase, “biological response to contact with materials”;
 List the different procedures used to test biocompatibility;
 Be able to broadly differentiate between the different classes of biomaterials;
 Explain what a materials is and how they are used clinically;
 From a biomedical device standpoint, know what is generally required of a biomaterial to be
incorporated within a biomedical device
 Nano-technology
 Surface Properties of Biomaterials , Wound healing response
 Surface Characterization and treatment
  Examples and description of some materials and their application

2- Course Contents
Topics
Definition of Biomaterial.
Outline about materials used in each field and its requirements.
Outline about various class of biomaterials. Natural and artificial materials.
Characteristics of biomaterials Artificial materials: ceramics ,metals and alloys.
Describe the crystal arid Atomic structures of engineering materials.
Discuss the mechanical tests : Static tension test and fracture in tension. Discuss
the effect of different variables on tensile properties.
Phase diagram ,discuss the mechanical tests :compression test and failure of
materials undercompression. Describe analytical methods used to characterize
biomaterials. Static tests and solved examples. Analysis the loads and factors that
affect on implant.
Describe various aspects of biomedical device design, fabrication and testing.
Analysis the loads and factors that affect on implant.
Introduction to tissue engineering ,preparation and evaluation of tissue
engineering implant. Characteristics of biomaterials surfaces.
Characterization methods of Biomaterials.
Characteristics of biomaterials surfaces.
Characterization methods of Biomaterials. Applications in Dentistry.
Surface & Protein Interactions
Types and application in human body.
Tissue engineering as an application, Adhesives and Composite
Structure.Applications in Drug Delivery.
Project Presentations
Degradation of biomaterials in biological environments.
Project Presentations
Lecture 2

Introduction

The Biomedical Materials Science course offers you the opportunity to gain a
comprehensive background in the medical science and engineering of the
biomaterials used to repair or replace damaged, diseased or missing tissues in
the human body.

Biomaterials: Materials used to safely replace or interact with

biological systems

A very short history of biomaterials

 The Romans, Chinese, and Aztec used gold in dentistry more than 2000
years ago. Glass eyes and wooden teeth have been used trough much of
the recorded history.
 Synthetic plastics became available at the turn of last century.
 PMMA (Polymethyl methacrylate) was intoduced in dentistry in 1937.
 Experiments with parachute cloth (Vinyon N) as vascular prosthesis after
world war II.
 In the early 1960s total hip replacement made of PMMA, ultrahigh-
molecular-weight polyurethan, and stainless steel.

Important definitions
 Biomaterial — it is a nonviable material used in a (medical) device
intended to interact with biological systems (Williams 1987).
 Biocompatibility — The ability of a material to perform with an
appropriate host response in a specific application (Williams 1987).
 Host Response — The response of the host organism (local and
systemic) to the implanted material or device. As hemodialysis system
serving as an artificial kidney requires materials that must function in
contact with the patients`s blood and exhibit appropriate membrane
permeability and mass transport characteristics.

Examples of biomaterial applications

Substitute heart valves
Artifical hips
Dental implants
Intraocular lenses

Interdisciplinary interactions are needed

Different disciplines have to work together, starting from the identification of a need
for a biomaterial through development, manufacture, implantation, and removal from
the patient.
Lecture 3

Biomaterial Types
Artificial biomaterials can be classified into three categories according to
the nature of their interaction with the surrounding environments;

a- bio-inert material : it is nontoxic and biologically inactive (nearly inert), a

fibrous tissue of variable thickness forms;
b- bioactive material : it is nontoxic and biologically active (bioactive), an
interfacial bond forms;
c- biodegradable or bioresorbable material :it is nontoxic and dissolves, the
surrounding tissue replaces it.

Biomaterials generations

There are three different generations seemed to be clearly marked:

First generation of biomaterials When synthetic materials were first used in
biomedical applications, the using requirements were a suitable physical
properties to match those of the replaced tissue with a minimal toxic
response of the host, so biologically inert or nearly inert materials were used
in order to reduce the corrosion and the releasing ions and particles after
implantation to minimise the immune response and foreign body reaction.

Mechanical properties and toxicity also play a leading role in the selection
of materials for implant manufacture. When inert biomaterials placed inside
the body, it would elicit a foreign fibrous capsule around the material which
isolates it from the surrounding tissue.

Examples for the first generation biomaterials:

Metals (stainless steel and cobalt–chrome-based alloys, Ti and Ti alloys).
Ceramics (Alumina Al2O3 and Zirconia ZrO2).
Polymers (silicone rubber, acrylic resins).

The second generation of biomaterials used bioactive materials ‘ability to

interact with the biological environment to enhance the biological response
and the tissue/surface bonding’, and resorbable biomaterials that have
ability to degradation while new tissue regenerates and heals.
Examples for the second generation biomaterials:
Metals (None of the biometallic materials are bioactive; However, two
approaches can be considered to obtain bioactive metals. The first one
consists of coating the surface of the metal with a bioactive ceramic. The
second one is to chemically modify the surface of the metal so as to induce
proteins and cell adhesion and other tissue/material interactions.
Ceramics (Bioactive glass, glass–ceramics and calcium phosphates (CaPs)).
Polymers (Biodegradable polymers of synthetic and natural origin such as
polyglycolide (PGA), polylactide (PLA).

The third-generation biomaterials used bioactive and bioresorbable

materials as temporary three-dimensional porous structures which are able
to activate genes that stimulate regeneration of living tissue. For these
biomaterials, the bioactivity and biodegradability concepts are combined, so
the combination of bioactivity and biodegradability is the most
characteristics of the third-generation biomaterials.
Metals have been used in the development of porous structures that focused
on titanium and titanium alloys.

Summary:

Classification of Materials

1. Metals - one or more metallic element, sometimes non-metallic

elements (C, N, O) in small amounts - good electrical conductivity, good
thermal conductivity; ductile,

2. Ceramics - oxides, nitrides, carbides; good insulators; brittle; refractory

(good thermal resistance) eg. Alumina (Al2O3), silica (SiO2), magnesia
(MgO),

3. Semi-conductors – intermediate between conductor and insulator; very

important in electronics; important in catalysis; eg. Silicon (Si),
Germanium (Ge), Titania TiO2

4. Polymers - organic macromolecules (plastics, rubber, )

5. Composites - consists of two or more structural materials; trade off in
properties; eg. reinforcement of matrix

6. Advanced Materials: Nanoengineered materials - Mechanical, electronic, magnetic,

catalytic and other properties designed from the molecular level in a “bottom-up” approach as
opposed to a top down approach
 Lecture 4

Properties of materials
Bulk properties, Suface properties, Synthetic materials have specific bulk and
surface characteristics. They must be known prior to any medical
application.in addition to the change over time in vivo must be evaluated
within the context of the intended biomedical use, since applications and host
tissue responses are quite specific within areas (e.g. Cardiovascular: flowing
blood contact; orthopedic: functional load bearing)

Properties and structure

Structure can be viewed at many levels:

–Atomic or molecular –Ultrastructural –Microstructural

Each level of structure in a material affects the overall properties of that

material in different, and sometimes conflicting, ways

Bulk properties of materials

Solids are held together by strong interatomic forces.

Metallic bonding -Covalent bonding -Ionic bonding

Metals and Metallic Bonding

A simple model from classical physics ignoring quantum

mechanical behaviour

• valence electrons are not bound by a single atom, but are

delocalized and may be considered to form “a sea of electrons”
• valence electrons are free to flow about the crystal lattice
which consists of stationary ion cores (atomic nuclei and non
valence electrons)
• Free electrons shield ion cores from repulsive forces
• Valence electrons are loosely bound
• High thermal conductivity (k)
• high electrical conductivity ()
• Metallic lattice is less stable than ionic solids
• low melting points (relative to ceramics)

Ceramics and Ionic Bonding

 Ions are created by the electron transfer from Na to Cl due to large

difference in electronegativities
 Ions are more stable, since outer shells become filled (Assignment
One – problem 3c)
 Unlike metals, the electrons are tightly bound by the ions
 Low electrical and thermal conductivities
 Very strong lattice energy results in very high melting points (eg.
Al2O3 Tmp=2020°C)
 Materials with very high temperature resistance are said to be
refractory.
 Ceramics have good insulative properties, thermal stability, are
usually hard and are strong
 Ceramics are also brittle and subject to fracture

Classification by Morphology:
Solids may be classified according to the inherent degree of
molecular order or disorder

1. Crystalline – most highly structured and ordered of all solids

- periodicy; unit cell is repeated in all dimensions of crystal
2. Amorphous - molecular structure is completely random and disordered
(Eg. glass) - the unit cell may be considered to
be infinite in size
3. Semi-crystalline - Eg. Polymers; crystallinity is localized within
amorphous structure
4. Liquid Crystal Polymers – eg. Liquid crystal display

- do not fall into first three categories;

- a structurally unique and novel state of matter neither liquid nor

crystal in melt condition

- complex; extended rod shaped, rigid molecules

 Conclusion:

Performance depends on material properties

• Macroscopic material properties are governed by the microstructure

• The microstructure is determined by crystal structure
• Crystal structure is determined by atomic bonding
• Classification of solids by atomic bonding and elemental constituents
Lecture 5

Material Properties

• OBJECTIVES
• To introduce the fundamental mechanical and surface chemistry
properties of biomaterials
• OUTLINE
– Mechanical Properties
• elasticity, viscoelasticity, brittle fracture, fatigue

- Surface chemistry

Introduction to mechanical properties

Let us take a cylinder and stress it. To stress it, I would fix one end of the cylinder and pull from
the other end as shown in the figure below.

Tensile Stress

According to Newton's third law, the cylinder will experience a force downward on the lower
surface of the cylinder and an equal and opposite force on the upper surface of the
cylinder. cylinder has an original length of Io and surface area of Ao. As I pull on my
material with the force F the cylinder will lengthen and the resulting length will be
l. Stress, σ, is defined as the force divided by the initial surface area, σ=F/Ao. This
pulling stress is called tensile stress. Strain is what results from this stress. Strain, ε,
is defined as the change in length divided by the original length, ε=ΔI/Io. Before we
proceed further with stress and strain, let's define some other types of stress.

If instead of pulling on our material, we push or compress our cylinder we are

introducing compressive stress. This is illustrated in the following figure:
if instead of applying a force perpendicular to the surface, we apply parallel but
opposite forces on the two surfaces we are applying a shear stress. This is
illustrated in the following figure:

Shear Stress

Stress related to shear is torsional stress. If we hold one end of our cylinder fixed
and twist the other end as shown in the figure below, we are applying a torsional
(or twisting) stress.
Torsional Stress

Elastic Region
It is the region where the material can be deformed and when released will return
back to its original configuration. Many metals in the elastic region have a resulting
strain that is proportional to the tensile load when the applied tensile load is small.
Mathematically, this can be written as ε=Eσ , and more generally is known as a form
of Hooke's law. E is the proportionality constant and is called the modulus of
elasticity or Young's modulus. Physically, the larger the value of the modulus of
elasticity the stiffer the material is, i.e., the more resistant to bending the material is.
If we look at a stress-strain diagram for a metal in the elastic region such as that
shown in the figure below, the slope of the curve is the modulus of elasticity.
Stress-Strain Diagram

Plastic Deformation
For most metallic materials, the elastic deformation region is relatively small. At
some point, the strain is no longer proportional to the applied stress. At this point,
bonds with original atom neighbors start to break and reform with a new group of
atoms. When this occurs and the stress is relieved, the material will no longer return
to its original form, i.e., the deformation is permanent and nonrecoverable. The
material has now moved into the region referred to as plastic deformation. In
practice, it is difficult to identify the exact point at which a material moves from the
elastic region to the plastic region. As shown in the figure below, a parallel line offset
by 0.002 strain is drawn. Where that line intercepts the stress-strain curve is
identified as the yield strength. The yield strength is equal to the stress at which
noticeable plastic deformation has occurred.
Stress-strain curve.

For many materials, the stress-strain curve looks like the curve shown in the figure
below. As the stress is increased from zero, the strain increases linearly until it starts
to deviate from linear at the yield strength. For increasing stress, the curve proceeds
to a maximum at which point it curves downward toward the fracture point. The
maximum corresponds to the tensile strength, which is the maximum stress value for
the curve and is indicated by M in the figure. The fracture point is the point at which
the material ultimately breaks, indicated by F in the figure.
Maximum on stress-strain curve appears at the onset of noticeable necking.

Resiliency and Toughness

When a person is resilient, we mean that they bounce back from change to their
original personality. Resiliency in the material sense is similar. We can define
resilience of the material to be the amount of energy the material can absorb and still
return to its original state. If we are talking about stressing the material and having
it return to its original state, we are talking about the material remaining in the elastic
region of the stress-strain curve. It turns out that we can get the energy of elasticity
by taking the area under the curve of the stress-strain curve. That area has been
highlighted in the figure below, which is the area under the curve from the origin to
the yield strength.
Energy of elasticity shown under the curve of the stress-strain curve.
Credit: Callister

Toughness, in contrast to resilience, is how much energy can be absorbed and still
keep going. One analogy that can be used when describing toughness is that of a car
in a demolition derby. The car is allowed to continue the competition as long as it is
capable of moving. It does not matter how many hits and how much destruction has
been done to the car, but rather as long as the car can move it can stay in the
competition. The toughness of the car is based on how many hits and how much
damage the car can sustain and continue in the competition. In the case of materials,
the amount of energy that the material can absorb plastically before fracturing is the
toughness.
In the figure below, we can see that a material can have a high tensile strength
(ceramics) and yet have a small toughness. In addition, materials can be extremely
ductile (unreinforced polymers) and also have a small toughness. So, a large
toughness (metals) is obtained by having a high tensile strength and a high ductility.

Stress-strain curve for a material with a high tensile strength (ceramics) and a small
toughness.

What is a Brittle Material?

Brittle material breaks while little to no energy is absorbed when stressed. The
material fractures with no plastic deformation. The material in the figure below
marked with (a) shows what a brittle material will look like after pulling on a
cylinder of that material. Typically, there will be a large audible snap sound when
the brittle material breaks. A brittle material is also known as a material having low
ductility. A stress-strain curve for brittle and ductile materials is shown in the figure
below.
Stress-strain curve for brittle and ductile materials.

why are ceramics so much more brittle than metals? It has to do with the bonding.
In metals, their metallic bonds allow the atoms to slide past each other easily. In
ceramics, due to their ionic bonds

Malleability and Ductility

Malleability and ductility are related. A malleable material is one in which a thin
sheet can be easily formed by hammering or rolling. In other words, the material
has the ability to deform under compressive stress.
A malleable material is one in which a thin sheet can be easily formed by
hammering. Gold is the most malleable metal.

In contrast, ductility is the ability of a solid material to deform under tensile stress.
Practically, a ductile material is a material that can easily be stretched into a wire
when pulled as shown in the figure below. Recall pulling is applying tensile stress.

Ductility test.

If we pull on a rod of material, some of the possible profiles of the rods at fracture
are shown in the figure below.
Fracture Samples

Profile (a) is an example of the material that fractures with no plastic deformation,
i.e., it is a brittle material. Profile (b) is an example of a material that fractures after
very little plastic deformation. These two profiles would be classified as having low
ductility. Profile (c) in contrast is a material that plastically deforms before fracture.
This material has high ductility. The stress-strain curves for the brittle, profile (a),
and the ductile material, profile (c), are shown in the figure below.
Ductile and Brittle Stress-Strain Curves