Liquid-Solid Phase Transition Alloy as Reversible and Rapid Molding Bone Cement

摘要

Bone cement has been demonstrated as an essential restorative material in theorthopedic surgery. However current materials often imply unavoidabledrawbacks, such as tissue-cement reaction induced thermal injuries andtroublesome revision procedure. Here we proposed an injectable alloy cement toaddress such problems through its liquid-solid phase transition mechanism. Thecement is made of a unique alloy BiInSnZn with a specifically designed lowmelting point 57.5{\deg}C. This property enables its rapid molding into variousshapes with high plasticity. Some fundamental characteristics includingmechanical strength behaviors and phase transition-induced thermal featureshave been measured to demonstrate the competence of alloy as unconventionalcement with favorable merits. Further biocompatible tests showed that thismaterial could be safely employed in vivo. In addition, experiments also foundthe alloy cement capability as an excellent contrast agent for radiationimaging. Particularly, the proposed alloy cement with reversible phasetransition feature significantly simplifies the revision of cement andprosthesis. This study opens the way to implement alloy material as bone cementto fulfill diverse clinical needs.