title: Nanobiotechnology: implications for the future of nanotechnology in orthopedic applications.
abstract: Nanotechnology involves the use of materials with components, such as fibers, grains and particles, that have dimensions of less than 100 nm. While numerous advantages of nanomaterials have been elucidated for catalytic, processing, mechanical, electrical, and optical applications, few have been described for orthopedic applications. Better orthopedic biomaterials are needed since the average lifetime of a bone biomaterial is less than 15 years. This review discusses recent studies that have been conducted to determine the efficacy of nanophase materials as bone implants. In doing so, it is suggested that nanophase materials can be synthesized to possess similar nanometer dimensions to components of bone tissue to promote new bone formation, compared with conventional orthopedic implant materials.
authors.affiliation: School of Materials Engineering, Purdue University, 501 Northwestern Avenue, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA. satom@purdue.edu
authors.forename: Michiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sato
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Webster
mesh_terms: D001709:Biotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D018786:Bone Substitutes; D004867:Equipment Design; D019544:Equipment Failure Analysis; D005544:Forecasting; D036103:Nanotechnology / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends; D009983:Orthopedic Equipment / Q000639:trends*; D009985:Orthopedics / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D019736:Prostheses and Implants / Q000639:trends*; D023822:Tissue Engineering / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods / Q000639:trends
chemical_list: D018786:Bone Substitutes