biomaterial
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A hip implant is an example of an application of biomaterials|thumb|right A biomaterial is a substance that has been engineered to interact with biological systems for a medical purpose – either a therapeutic (treat, augment, repair, or replace a tissue function of the body) or a diagnostic one. The corresponding field of study is called biomaterials science or biomaterials engineering. It has experienced steady growth over its history, with many companies investing large amounts of money into the development of new products. Biomaterials science encompasses elements of medicine, biology, chem
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~27 min read
Article
29 sectionsContents
- Introduction
- Bioactivity
- Self-assembly
- Structural hierarchy
- Applications
- Bone grafts
- Heart valves
- Skin repair
- Properties
- Host response
- Biomaterial and tissue interactions
- Compatibility
- Toxicity
- Biodegradable biomaterials
- Biocompatible plastics
- Surface and bulk properties
- Mechanical properties
- Structure
- Atomic structure
- Microstructure
- Crystalline structure
- Defects of crystalline structure
- Macrostructure
- Natural biomaterials
- Biopolymers
- See also
- Footnotes
- References
- External links
A hip implant is an example of an application of biomaterials|thumb|right A biomaterial is a substance that has been engineered to interact with biological systems for a medical purpose – either a therapeutic (treat, augment, repair, or replace a tissue function of the body) or a diagnostic one. The corresponding field of study is called biomaterials science or biomaterials engineering. It has experienced steady growth over its history, with many companies investing large amounts of money into the development of new products. Biomaterials science encompasses elements of medicine, biology, chemistry, tissue engineering and materials science.
A biomaterial is different from a biological material, such as bone, that is produced by a biological system. However, "biomaterial" and "biological material" are often used interchangeably. Further, the word "bioterial" has been proposed as a potential alternate word for biologically produced materials such as bone, or fungal biocomposites. Additionally, care should be exercised in defining a biomaterial as biocompatible, since it is application-specific. A biomaterial that is biocompatible or suitable for one application may not be biocompatible in another.