Mechanical properties of artificial materials for bone repair

Abstract

Bone defect caused by injury, infection, tumor and congenital diseases is one of the most common diseases in clinical orthopaedics. Bone grafts are necessary when self-healing is not effective during the recovery. Preparation of ideal bone substitutes with good biocompatibility and biodegradability to repair bone defects has become the focus. So far artificial materials used in hard tissue repair and reconstruction most notably are metals and their alloys, then the ceramic materials and their composite materials. From the perspective of mechanical properties, metals have some advantages, but corrosion issue and stress shielding of metal have baffled scientists through the age and have been long searched for solution. The elastic modulus of ceramic is more close to the natural bone compared to metal while the improvement of brittleness has been always the emphasis for clinical use. Therefore, development of materials of proper mechanical properties without affecting biological compatibility has become a significant subject.