• Ceramic Solid State Ionic Technologies
  • Separation/Purification Technologies
    • Sodium
      • Radioactive Waste Stream Recycling
      • Industrial Na Waste Stream Recycling
      • On-Site Sodium Methylate (SMO) Production for Transesterification
      • On-Site Hypochlorite Disinfection Systems
    • Oxygen
    • Lithium
    • Hydrogen
  • Advanced Energy Storage
    • Solid Electrolyte Batteries
    • Fuel Cells (SOFC, PCFC)
  • CO2 Beneficiation
    • Solid Electrolysis Cells (SOEC)
  • Highly Efficient Hydrogen Production
    • Electrolytic Hydrogen Production
  • Syngas Production
    • Solid Oxide Electrolysis Cell (SOEC)
    • Syngas (ITM)
  • Next-Generation Precision Sensors
    • Sodium
• Other Ceramatec Technologies
  • Fuel Processing
    • Cold Plasma Reforming
    • Hydrogen Recovery from Desulfurization
  • Synthetic Fuel
    • SOEC
    • Modular Fischer Tropsch
    • Plasma Reforming
  • Fly Ash Treatment for Reuse (Benefication)
    • Applications & Uses
  • Compact Microchannel Heat Exchangers and Reactors
  • Micro and Nano-Porous Ceramics
    • Structural (silica-free) Insulation
    • Refractory Consumables in Non-Ferrous Metal Melting
    • Machinable Ceramics
    • Alumina Waste Recycling
    • Diesel Particulate Filters
    • Microfabrication
    • Ceramic Fiber Optic Connectors
  • Hazardous Gas Treatment
    • Plasma Oxiders
    • Hydrogen Recovery from Desulfurization
  • Coatings
    • Oxide Coatings for Refractories & Ceramics
    • Anti-Fungal Coatings
    • Fire-Resistant Coatings for Wood, Carbon, Dry Wall and Plastics
    • Environmental Barrier Coatings
      • Metals
      • Ceramics
    • High Temperature Low Electrical Resistivity Coatings
  • Biomedical & Orthopedic Implants
  • Nanopowder Synthesis
  • Custom Electrode Development
  • Advance Materials Processing & Development
  • Heavy Oil & Shale Oil Upgrading
  • Next Generation Catalyst Supports & Substrates

Biomedical & Orthopedic Implants

Conventional biomedical and orthopedic implants (used in Spine, Hip, Knee, Shoulders, Skull, Wrist, Hand, etc) have issues related to very long-term performance inside the human body, like:

• Stress Shielding (stiffness matching)
• Bone loss / Bone Weakening
• Insufficient bone attachment & bone ingrowth (sprouts)
• Implant loosening (poor, unstable fixation) over time

A new biomedical and orthopedic implant technology that more closely mimics certain features of the bone would be a significant advantage. To mimic a pseudo-bone type structure, the biomedical or orthopedic implant will need to have:

• Anisotropic design (mechanical properties)
• Mixture of porous and dense regions
• High strength relative to porosity; and
• appropriately tailored stiffness

A New, Innovative Solution: High Load-Bearing Porous Scaffolds & Implants

Ceramatec, using its core expertise in microchannel device, can easily design porous, foam-like Implants with anisotropic pore architecture. They can be designed for both load-bearing & non-load bearing applications. As seen below, these implants can have channels to allow bone ingrowth while solid struts act as load-bearing members. Using this approach, metal (Ti & Ta) & Ceramic Implants whose stiffness can be matched more closely with that of bone, without compromising its load-bearing capacity, can be designed.

These Load-Bearing Porous Scaffolds/Implants have several additional benefits:

• Implant can be pre-infiltrated with HA, β-TCP, BMP, collagen & growth factors for rapid osteointegration & fast healing
• Porosity from 0-80 vol% (pore sizes from <1µm to 1000 µm)
• Pore shape, size, aspect ratio, volume, channel spacing, alignment, & interconnectivity can be easily controlled

This novel approach, as shown in the figures below, will allow bone ingrowth “into the thickness” of the implant leading to long term, secure fixation

The multifunctional features has lead to the design of drug eluting implants, anti-microbial spacers for knees and joints, partially bio-resorbable implants, and bioceramics beads for spinal applications.