UNIVERSITY OF BERN

Biomaterial Science
Summary
Rina Skwara
1 Materials Science: Biomaterial
Definition Biomaterial:
Material intended to interface with biological systems to evaluate, treat, augment or replace any tissue, organ or
function of the body.

Medical IMPLANTS
An IMPLANT is a medical device made of one or more solid state materials (rather seldom a liquid or liquid-like
medium), intentionally placed within the body, either totally of partially beneath an epithelial surface. Each implant
is a priori a foreign body, which results in the rejection response of the surrounding tissue. Usually it results in
inflammation reactions and finally in the encapsulation of the implant. By tailoring of the biocompatibility, one can at
least partially compress the non-desired reactions.

Active implant
• Active medical implants have an electrical energy supply.
• CE certificate (1995)
• All components including software have to have CE certification.
• Requirements include technical security, sterility, biocompatibility.
• Examples: pacemakers, neuro-stimulators, hearing helps, insulin pumps
Biocompatibility
Biocompatibility is the ability of a material to perform with an appropriate host response in a specific application.
Tests:
Physico-chemical properties • Release of atoms, molecules, clusters, particles (toxicity
(physicist, chemist) measurements)
• Surface segregation
• Oxidation
• Surface morphology
• Mechanical properties including fatigue behaviour
• Contact angle measurements (hydrophobicity or wetting
behaviour)
In vitro cell experiments (biologist) Standardized testing procedures in (simulated) physiological
solutions
• Implant  cell culture; cell culture  implant
release of metal ions or degradation products, water
accumulation of polymers or corrosion
(static or cyclic loading)
• Choice of cell type
• Expression of proteins (cytokines)
• Cell specific reactions: osteoblasts - alkaline phosphatase (ALPactivity)
In vivo animal tests (veterinary
doctor)
Clinical trials and studies (medical
doctor)
Medical implant classification

Long-term implants: e.g. pacemaker, articular implant (hip prosthesis) Biocompatibility of long-term implants refers
to the ability of the selected device to fulfill the intended function, with the desired integration into the host tissue,
without inducing any undesired effect in the hosting tissue.

Short-term implants: e.g. instruments, catheters Biocompatibility of a short-term implant that is intentionally used
for transient diagnostic or therapeutic purposes refers to the ability of the device to perform the intended
function(s), with minimized interactions between device and surrounding tissue that adversely affects the
performance, and without inducing uncontrolled activation of tissues, cells, or proteins.

Rejection or inflammatory reactions

Classification:
 improper or suitable to only a limited extent
 inert
 bioactive or metabolic-inductive
 intelligent implants

Compatibility (bone)

 Incompatible Release of substances in toxic concentrations, necrosis and rejection

 Bio-compatible Release of substances in non-toxic concentrations, encapsulation in connective tissue and
foreign body reaction (expanded cells)
 Bio-inert No release of toxic substances
 Bio-active Positive interactions with tissue differentiation, e.g., binding or adhesion of bony tissue at
implant’s surface
 Inductive Induction of heterotopic bone formation (orthotopic)
 Conductive Implant acts as scaffold for bone deposit in osteogenic tissue (derived from or composed of any
tissue concerned in bone growth or repair)
Tissue engineering triad

Tissue engineering combines biological cells, engineered materials, and to a certain extend also suitable
biochemical factors to improve or replace biological functions in an effort to effect the advancement of
medicine.

Sponge
Fibers
Membranes

“Human” biosensors

 Nose => to smell (chemical sensor)

 Tongue => to taste (chemical sensor)
 Ear => to hear (pressure sensor)
 Eye => to see (light-sensitive detector - high-resolution camera)
 Finger (skin) => to feel (force sensor - haptic, thermal sensor - thermometer)
Biosensors

• Biosensors are devices to detect an analyte that combines one or more biological components with a physico-
chemical detection unit. It consists of the sensitive biological element (tissue, microorganism, cell), the transducer
and the physicochemical detector element (optical, piezoelectric, electrochemical, thermometric, magnetic).
Components of biosensors

SOURCE - signal - filter - conditioning - detector (SENSOR)

Data acquisition - pretreatment - information analysis (feature extraction) - recognition (feature analysis) – result
(quantitative/qualitative)

Characteristics of biosensors (performance factors)

• Reversibility (thermodynamic equilibrium) • Transducer

• Sensitivity • Robustness
• Dynamic range • Long-time stability
• Linearity • Response time
• SELECTIVITY • Simple (costs)
• Resolution limit

Structural Biocompatibility
Quantification of the relationship between biocompatibility and surface morphology (topography) on atomic
/molecular scale
Surface metrics
The four metrics that need to be measured are form, waviness, roughness, and imperfections. They provide the
quantitative description of the surface morphology (topography).
Surface roughness
Roughness mathematically describes the surface irregularities, which result from the fabrication processes. We
distinguish between nominal surface, real surface, and measured surface.
Average roughness: Mittelwert
N
1
r a = ∑ ¿ r n∨¿ ¿
N n=1
Root mean square roughness: Effektivwert
N
rq =
√1
∑
N n=1
r n2

Surface roughness measurements

• Profilometry using a stylus-type instrument: surface roughness is determined from the vertical stylus displacement.
• Non-contact optical techniques using monochromatic or white light, interferometers, speckle methods, polarized
light scattering, ellipsometry, etc.
• Inspection and measurement (ascertainment of extent by comparison with the standard)
• Modern instruments (Scanning Electron Microscopy - SEM, Scanning Probe Microscopy - SPM) may yield more data
than used conveniently on restricted areas, but indicate that surfaces are likely to be imperfect (at least on the
atomic scale).
Contact angles and wetting films

If a water droplet is put onto a solid state surface, one can observe the following phenomena:
– The droplet completely spread out forming a wetting film (extremely hydrophilic surface).
– The droplet exhibits a rather small contact angle of 10°to 30°(hydrophilic surface).
– The droplet has a rather large, intermediate contact angle of 90°to 120°(hydrophobic surface).
– One observes contact angles of larger than 150°(super-hydrophobic surface).
The contact directly provides quantitative information on the solid state surface via interaction energy between
selected liquid and surface.

Thermodynamic description
The contact angle q0 can be derived from the consideration of the thermodynamic equilibrium between the liquid
droplet (l), the solid substrate (s), and the gas/vapor environment (ambient atmosphere - v). At equilibrium, the
solid-vapor interfacial energy gsv, the solid-liquid interfacial energy gsl and the liquid-vapor energy or the surface
tension glv can be written as the YOUNG equation: ɣ sv =ɣ sl +ɣ lv cos ⍬0 ❑
By the measurement of q0, the equation can be used to determine one interfacial
energy, if the other two are known.