The ability to convert an electrical field into a mechanical perturbation and vice versa makes piezoelectric materials fundamentally interesting objects of study as well as versatile components for industrial applications. In recent years, research on piezoelectric materials for biomedical applications, as for nerve and bone tissue repair, in vivo sensors or energy harvesting components, has gained significant momentum. However, the boundary conditions that must be met to make these materials work in an in vivo environment are quite different to the ones in their established industrial applications. The main challenge here is that the implanted materials must be biocompatible. This is a concept that goes way beyond simple chemical toxicity but covers all aspects that influence the safe performance of a material at the implant site under the complex conditions that the body imposes. Material and implant design have to be re-thought to match these requirements e.g. in terms of cytotoxicity and structural stability in the presence of body fluids.
We will take an in-depth look at the biocompatibility and applicability of piezoelectric ceramics intended for hard tissue implants. The boundary conditions that the body imposes and how these influence the interplay between implant material and living tissue will be discussed. We will cover studies on cytotoxicity as well as approaches to material design to meet the requirements at the implant site. You will, furthermore, get an overview of some of the steps we have taken to enable piezoelectric BaTiO3 and (K,Na)NbO3 ceramics for bone implant applications, e.g. to understand their chemical stability in body simulating fluids and the impact of sterilization routines on their functional performance.
Piezoelectric materials show great promise for a wide range of biomedical applications. Each comes with their specific set of biochemical and mechanical boundary conditions. To transfer piezoelectric materials safely into the biomedical realm, a fundamental understanding of the complex interplay between them and their host environment before and during the implantation period is crucial – it’s a wide field of research!
The seminar will be chaired by Jirka Hlinka, Department of Dielectrics.