Biomaterials and Manufacturing Methods

The course is conceived for master students in Materials Engineering and is introducing the field of Biomaterials starting with its history and projection for the future developments. Medical applications of biomaterials are introduced.

After studying biocompatibility from the point of view of cellular / tissular interactions, the main classes of biomaterials are studied: quasi-bioinert, bioactive and biodegradable, bio-interactive. The main biomaterials are presented extensively: metals (stainless steels, stellites, titanium, tantalum, niobium, zirconium, magnesium, shape memory alloys, dental amalgams), polymers (medical grade polymers of common names, resorbable, hydrogels and drug delivery systems, shape memory), ceramics (quasi – bioinert, bioactive, resorbable).

The effect of specific properties (mechanical, physical and chemical) upon biocompatibility are studied in real application cases. Sterilization, as well as manufacturing methods are studied with regard to the types of materials and applications. The novel fields of biomaterials applications are presented: nanomedicine, microfluidics, Tissue Engineering.