Saturday, October 6, 2007

Liquid metal in neurosurgery

Liquid metal” is the trade name of amorphous metal alloys which have dramatically different properties compared to ordinary metals that exists in crystalline state. The amorphous non crystalline nature of this product gives it a moldable plastic nature when heated, allowing it to be cast into complex shapes – like glass – they really never solidify (crystallize). In fact they are called metallic glass.

They are twice as strong as ordinary titanium, highly resistant to corrosion and have great elasticity. They are already being used for many applications, commercially, including prosthetic joints. Possible uses in neurosurgery would be spinal implants and may be aneurysm clips that can be opened any number of times without losing strength and free from risk of in situ ‘stress corrosion failure’.

The material is the culmination of many decades of research at California institute of technology.

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