[Image above] Credit: Christophe95, Wikimedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Ceramic materials are critical for life. From the shells of mollusks to the bones and teeth of mammals, naturally occurring ceramics are integral to supporting and protecting fauna in air, water, and on land.
While much bioceramics research focuses on replacing or repairing natural ceramics, materials falling within the scope of bioactive glass and bioceramics have many additional applications in healthcare, environmental science, and filtration, among other fields.
Areas of research include biocompatibility for in-vivo applications and, in the case of environmental remediation, the ability to remediate biological contaminants. Products resulting from bioactive glass and bioceramic research include joint and dental replacement, drug delivery via porous bioglass containers, and dental repair toothpaste.
One cannot discuss this field without mentioning the pioneering work of Larry Hench on bioactive glass materials. Two of the works he published with ACerS are highlighted in this month’s Glass: Then and Now collection, along with other stand-out works by leaders in the field.
Articles for Bioactive glasses
In addition to the articles in this month’s Glass: Then and Now, the recent March 2022 special issue of Journal of the American Ceramic Society also focuses on bioceramics. The authors of the editorial introducing this issue discuss what’s next for the field.
“The future of bioceramics will involve ever closer matching between the bioceramic implant and the biomechanical and biological characteristics of the surrounding host tissue. A key challenge for innovation in this field of research is the manufacturing of affordable bioceramic and composite for dentistry, orthopedics, and drug delivery. For example, smart biomaterials are being developed, which respond to the body’s stimuli by localized drug release, pH changes, or other responses.”
– Roger Narayan, Bikramjit Basu, Ashutosh Goel, Julian Jones, and Steve Jung
Finally, I invite you to explore the topical collection Bioceramics and Bioglass 2022 posted to the ACerS Journal website at https://ceramics.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/topical_collections. This collection features a sampling of the spectrum of basic and applied science and engineering research published recently in this field. Included are cutting-edge materials and production methods such as graphene, coatings, and additive manufacturing. Also included are surface modifications and lessons learned from scale-up experiments along with advanced applications, such as biomimetic design and new characterization methods.
Want to keep on top of the latest developments? Please join the Bioceramics Division of ACerS and sign up for content alerts on https://ceramics.onlinelibrary.wiley.com.