Description
With all the right properties for strength, stability and safety, the poly-aryl-ether-ketones (PAEKs) are becoming champion polymers that have opened opportunities for working with the human body to repair, support and heal. The discovery of how to form and shape them with laser sintering methods and provide them with the right surface chemistry using ionised gases has been a success story pioneered in Australia. In this talk I will outline how Plasma Immersion Ion Implantation emerged from the Plasma Physics Laboratory to become an opportunity for Australia in the orthopaedic implant industry to help repair the skeleton in a biologically friendly and enduring way. Properties of superhydrophilicity, osseointegration, bioactivity and stimulation by optimum mechanical flexibility encourage cell attachment and integration with human tissues. These properties ultimately stem from the unique quantum mechanics of the carbon atom that enable it to work with its neighbours in the periodic table oxygen and nitrogen. After development by interdisciplinary teams who have worked together over many years, we are on the brink of a success story that will improve the quality of life for many with critical bone defects caused by cancer and other disease.
| I am the presenting author | Yes |
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