Medical Applications

Advanced ceramics fabrication for medical

Ceramics offer numerous advantages to the medical sector, including inertness, non-toxicity, hardness, high compressive strength, low friction coefficient, resistance to wear and chemicals, sterility, customizable porosity, excellent aesthetics, and durability. The brittleness of ceramics is addressed through the use of ceramic composites, nanostructured materials, and processing techniques like hot isostatic pressing. Additionally, ceramic coatings are employed in situations requiring reliance on the mechanical strength and toughness of the underlying substrate.

Bioceramics

Bioceramics are a category of ceramic materials utilized in the restoration and replacement of damaged bone tissue. They offer numerous benefits, including biocompatibility, non-toxicity, dimensional stability, and crucially, bioinertness in endodontic applications.

Bioceramics find primary usage as medical implants, either in bulk form or as coatings or fillers. Orthopedic procedures involving the surgical placement of bioceramic implants encompass hip and knee replacements, joint surgeries, craniomaxillofacial interventions, spinal tissue restoration, and more. The utilization of bioceramics has gained popularity with the aging global population.

Dental Systems

Ceramic materials find extensive applications in dentistry, including orthodontic devices (e.g., braces), prostheses (e.g., crowns and bridges), and implants (e.g., all-ceramic root implants).

Popular dental ceramic systems utilize materials such as silica, leucite, lithium disilicate, alumina, and zirconia. These materials exhibit exceptional toughness, strength, fatigue resistance, wear resistance, and biocompatibility. Moreover, ceramic materials offer excellent aesthetic benefits as they can closely match the natural color of teeth, outperforming traditional metal products.

Instruments and Tools

Ceramics find significant applications in various medical instruments and tools, encompassing tissue engineering scaffolds, medical pumps, blood shear valves for hematology testing, drug delivery devices, piezoelectric components for medical tools and instruments, and ceramic-to-metal assemblies for imaging equipment. Additionally, ceramic particles and microspheres are gaining popularity in cancer radiotherapy and other targeted therapies.