Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology in Hyderabad and the B.R. Ambedkara in Jalandhar created eggshell and polymer material for the production of bone implants. This was reported by The Hindu Business Line.
Recently, implants are mainly made from hydroxyapatite and other minerals based on calcium phosphate. According to one of the authors of the work, an employee of the Indian Institute of Technology in Hyderabad, Rupavat Uday Kieran, such products may contain residues of chemicals, in particular nitrate compounds, which even in small quantities pose a danger to humans.
The researchers made a new material from egg shell nanopowder, particles of which are 100,000 times smaller than the section of a human hair. Then they mixed the nanopowder with the polymer and made a blank for the implant. Subsequently, scientists tested it for compatibility with living cells and came to the conclusion that the new material is superior in its characteristics to the analogues known today.
- Rupavat Uday Kiran
- © National Institute of Technology, Jalandhar
As Rupavat Uday Kieran noted, implants made from eggshell material take root in the body better than existing ones due to the content of additional bioactive ions. He also indicated that eggshells are cheap raw materials that are available in unlimited quantities throughout the world.