Titanium foam developed for bone implants

A new material for bone implants could replace current solid-metal titanium implants to help improve flexibility and bone regrowth.

Peter Quadbeck of the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Technology and Advanced Materials Research in Dresden, Germany, and his colleagues have created a titanium implant with a foamlike structure, inspired by the spongy nature of bone. The titanium foam does a better job than solid metal when it comes to matching the mechanical properties of bone, they said.

The foam is porous, so the bone can grow around and within it, truly integrating the implant with the skeleton.