College of Engineering and Information Technology

Department of Biomedical Engineering

Academic year 2022/2023

Fall semester

Biomaterials Basics and Applications

Instructor Name: Mohamed Baloola

Types of Biomaterials

Name: Gezlan Khalid

ID: 202010781

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Contents:

Introduction on Biomaterials ...................................................................................................... 3

Types of Biomaterials ................................................................................................................. 3
Biological and non-biological materials .....................................................................................4
Biocompatibility ......................................................................................................................... 6
Conclusion… .............................................................................................................................. 7
References ................................................................................................................................... 8

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In a world of advancing technology, scientists and engineers work like magicians to improve the
quality of people’s life. One of the methods that are used is biomaterials which is especially used
in the medical field.

What are biomaterials?

Biomaterials science is the study of biomaterials and their

interactions with the the biologicalenvironment. [1]

A biomaterial is a material intended to interface with

biological systems to evaluate, treat, assistor replace any
tissue, organ or function of the body. [2]

Fig. 1

Types of Biomaterials:

Types Definition Properties Applications

Organic materials
possessing long chains Resilient Contact lenses Sutures
Polymers that are held together by Elasticity Wound dressings
directional covalent Tensile strength Orthopaedic joint
bonds. implants

Inorganic materials
composed of non- Brittle Dental implants
Ceramics directional ionic bonds Strong Bone graft substitute
between electron- Low mass density materials
donating and electron- Zero ductility
accepting elements.
Inorganic materials
Metals possessing non- Stiffness Artificial hearts
directional metallic bonds Ductility Vascular stents
with highly mobile High fatigue resistance
electrons.
A combination of
different materials Strong Heart Valves
Composites physically held together Tailor-made Joint Implants
without a chemical
reaction.

Table 1. Types of biomaterials

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Biological and Non-Biological Materials:

Biological materials are present inside living organisms. They do not contain any metal, ceramic, or
synthetic polymer material and have the ability to repair themselves, grow and respond, while
synthetic materials “non biological” do not. [3]

Biological materials include:

Natural Polymers: natural polymers refer to a class of

macromolecules derived from nature, including animal
sources, plant sources, and microbial sources. Common
natural polymers include cellulose, starch, chitin, lignin,
natural rubber, and fungal polysaccharides. [4]

Natural polymers have the advantages of low toxicity, good

reproducibility, flexible modification, and biodegradability.
Therefore, they are widely used in many fields like:
Fig. 2

Drug delivery system

Natural polymers have been widely used as carriers for the encapsulation and delivery
of drugs and other bioactive molecules. [5]

Gene delivery and tissue engineering

Natural polymers have unique intrinsic properties that help advance the field of non-
viral gene therapy. Collagen, for example, has broad utility as a matrix for gene
activation, enabling the delivery of large amounts of DNA in a direct, localized
manner. [6]

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Non- Biological materials include:

Synthetic Polymers: Synthetic polymers are derived from petroleum oil, and made by scientists and
engineers. Examples include nylon, polyethylene, polyester, Teflon, and epoxy

They have a wide range of physical and chemical properties can be achieved based on
the monomer units, polymerization reaction and formation of co-polymers consisting of different
components at adjustable concentrations. [7]

Hence they are used in:

- Urinary catheters
- Wound dressing
- Suture materials
- Vascular stents

Ceramics: The popularity of ceramics in medical devices is

due to their ability to deliver performance that other materials
simply cannot. They are particularly robust, and can survive
extreme stresses, temperatures, nuclear radiation or highly
aggressive chemicals.

They’re used in:

- Hip and knee replacements

- Dental restorations
- Bone fillers and Fig. 3
- Scaffolds for tissue engineering

Metals: Metallic biomaterials are engineered systems designed to provide internal support to
biological tissues. They have good thermal conductivity and
mechanical properties such as fracture toughness, fatigue
strength, ductility, and yield strength which are more suitable
for load-bearing or permanent deformation.

They are being used largely:

- Joint replacements
- Dental implants
- Orthopedic fixations
- Stents Fig. 4

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A biomaterial has to be biocompatible to perform its’ functions toward a living environment.

Biocompatibility is the ability of a material to perform with an appropriate response in a specific

application. [2]

Which means that an interaction must happen from both the living environment and the material
to increase the rate of success without causing an immune reaction and reduce any possibility of
damage or harm to the living environment.

Although biocompatibility is an important factor to increase the rate of success, as time passes
the probability of failure increases.
The graph below shows the probability of failure for an implantation:

Fig. 5: Probability of Failure vs Implant Period Graph

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Conclusion:

In conclusion, biomaterials are materials that interact with biological systems, whether they’re
biological or non-biological. They are often used in medical applications to replace or assist an
organ or tissue function.

The most important specification for a biological material is that it is biocompatible.

Biocompatibility generally means that the material does not cause a response in the host, which
ensures a high rate of success.

Biological materials have the ability to live, grow, develop and respond and they’re usually
found in a living environment. While, non-biological materials are inorganic and man made.

Biomaterials are used for medical implants, sutures, grafts and many more applications that are
useful and that are used to improve the lives of people.

It is a kind of advanced technology that sure will advance a lot more in the future.

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References:

[1] Dickinson, R.B., A.G. Ruta and S.E. Truesdail. “Physiochemical Basis of Bacterial Adhesion
to Biomaterial Surfaces.” In Antimicrobial/Anti-Infective Materials: Principles, Applications,
and Devices, S.P. Saw an and G. Manivannan, Eds. Lancaster: Technomic Publishing,
pp. 67-93, 2000.

[2] Gristina, A.G, “Biomaterial-Centered Infection: Microbial Adhesion versus Tissue

Integration,” Science, vol. 237, pp. 1588-1595, 1987.

[3] Dee, Kay C., David A. Puleo, and Rena Bizios, “An Introduction to Tissue-biomaterial
Interactions.” Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Liss, 2002.

[4] Shi Z, et al. Electroconductive natural polymer-based hydrogels. Biomaterials. 2016:40-54.

[5] Ngwuluka N, et al. Naturapolyceutics: The Science of Utilizing Natural Polymers for Drug
Delivery. Polymers. 2014, 6(5):1312-1332.

[6] Dang J M, et al. Natural polymers for gene delivery and tissue engineering. Advanced Drug
Delivery Reviews. 2006, 58(4):487-499.

[7] A. Lendlein. Polymers in biomedicine. Macromol. Biosci., 10 (2010), pp. 993-997