{"id":47457,"date":"2024-11-11T11:53:06","date_gmt":"2024-11-11T16:53:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/materials\/?post_type=news&p=47457"},"modified":"2024-11-13T10:09:03","modified_gmt":"2024-11-13T15:09:03","slug":"magnesium-makeover-hopkins-teams-swift-methods-and-machine-models-reinforce-bone-implants","status":"publish","type":"news","link":"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/materials\/news\/magnesium-makeover-hopkins-teams-swift-methods-and-machine-models-reinforce-bone-implants\/","title":{"rendered":"Magnesium Makeover: Hopkins Team\u2019s Swift Methods and Machine Models Reinforce Bone Implants"},"content":{"rendered":"

Biodegradable magnesium alloy implants promise to revolutionize bone repair, naturally disintegrating as broken bones heal and eliminating the need for removal surgeries. However, their too-rapid breakdown in the body has hindered their effectiveness\u2014until now.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A team of Hopkins researchers discovered a new way to create magnesium alloys that can endure the harsh conditions inside the human body, giving broken bones time to heal before they disintegrate. Led by <\/span>Tim Weihs<\/span><\/a>, a professor of materials science and engineering at the Whiting School of Engineering, the team used a rapid testing and processing method combined with machine learning to identify the ideal microstructure for alloys to thrive within the human body.\u00a0 Their findings were published in the <\/span>J<\/i>o<\/i>urnal of Magnesium and Alloys<\/i><\/span><\/a>.<\/i><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cTo slow the alloy\u2019s breakdown in the body, we would previously change its composition \u2013 substituting zinc or calcium with a different metal,\u201d said PhD student and team member Sreenivas Raguraman. \u201cHowever, in this research, we discovered that altering an alloy\u2019s composition isn\u2019t necessary to improve its strength and inhibit degradation. Instead, we can finetune the manufacturing process to achieve better results. The innovation is not in the steps themselves, but rather in the unique way they are combined that strengthens the alloy.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"

The alloy sample loaded into x-ray diffraction, which analyzes its microstructure.<\/p><\/div>\n

The team studied the structure and properties of the material after subjecting it to an 11-step process. First, they applied a method to reshape the material and improve its strength and then subjected it to heat. The team then used X-ray diffraction and microscopy to visualize the structure of the materials. Next, they tested the material\u2019s strength by pressing a tiny tool to its surface to measure how much force it could withstand and then placed the alloy in an incubator that mimics conditions within the human body. Finally, the team used a machine learning technique called LASSO regression to identify which structure had the greatest impact on material stability and durability.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The team found that the material\u2019s strength and resistance to corrosion or deterioration improved \u2013 showing that researchers can refine the material using this new process. They also discovered that a single minute of heat treatment at 450 degrees Celsius can dramatically enhance the alloy\u2019s durability.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0The researchers say that these promising results, along with faster processing, make this material ideal for use in biodegradable implants.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cMoving forward, we want to develop a <\/span>numerical model<\/span> to predict strength and corrosion rate as we adjust processing steps,\u201d said Raguraman. \u201cThe more information we feed into the machine learning tool, the more precisely we can predict the materials\u2019 behavior. This would be a huge step towards developing customizable biodegradable implants.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The study team included Paulette Clancy<\/a>, Edward J. Schaefer Professor in Engineering in the Whiting School of Engineering\u2019s Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and postdoctoral researcher Maitreyee Sharma. Adam Griebel at Fort Wayne Metals worked with the team on experimentation. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe hope to continue this very productive collaboration and identify other processing routes for multiple magnesium alloys in the future,\u201d says Weihs. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"template":"","class_list":["post-47457","news","type-news","status-publish","hentry","news_categories-research"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMagnesium Makeover: Hopkins Team\u2019s Swift Methods and Machine Models Reinforce Bone Implants - Department of Materials Science & Engineering<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/engineering.jhu.edu\/materials\/news\/magnesium-makeover-hopkins-teams-swift-methods-and-machine-models-reinforce-bone-implants\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Magnesium Makeover: Hopkins Team\u2019s Swift Methods and Machine Models Reinforce Bone Implants - Department of Materials Science & Engineering\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Biodegradable magnesium alloy implants promise to revolutionize bone repair, naturally disintegrating as broken bones heal and eliminating the need for removal surgeries. 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