Liquid-Solid Phase Transition Alloy as Reversible and Rapid Molding Bone Cement

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel liquid-solid phase transition alloy bone cement made of BiInSnZn, which offers rapid molding, biocompatibility, and ease of revision, addressing limitations of traditional bone cements.

Contribution

The study presents a new alloy-based bone cement with reversible phase transition, demonstrating its mechanical, thermal, biocompatibility, and imaging capabilities, advancing orthopedic materials.

Findings

Rapid shape molding due to low melting point

Biocompatibility confirmed in vivo

Enhanced revision process with reversible phase transition

Abstract

Bone cement has been demonstrated as an essential restorative material in the orthopedic surgery. However current materials often imply unavoidable drawbacks, such as tissue-cement reaction induced thermal injuries and troublesome revision procedure. Here we proposed an injectable alloy cement to address such problems through its liquid-solid phase transition mechanism. The cement is made of a unique alloy BiInSnZn with a specifically designed low melting point 57.5{\deg}C. This property enables its rapid molding into various shapes with high plasticity. Some fundamental characteristics including mechanical strength behaviors and phase transition-induced thermal features have been measured to demonstrate the competence of alloy as unconventional cement with favorable merits. Further biocompatible tests showed that this material could be safely employed in vivo. In addition, experiments also found the alloy cement capability as an excellent contrast agent for radiation imaging. Particularly, the proposed alloy cement with reversible phase transition feature significantly simplifies the revision of cement and prosthesis. This study opens the way to implement alloy material as bone cement to fulfill diverse clinical needs.