title: A biomechanical evaluation of CNT-grown bone.
abstract: Beside their biochemical properties, the exceptional mechanical characteristics of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) suggested growing a reinforced composite material very similar to natural bone in structure and chemical composition, but significantly stronger and stiffer. This is where biomechanical considerations portray themselves to justify the need for further investigations, in order to verify the applicability of CNTs as scaffolds that may ease bone regeneration and simultaneously raise its mechanical strength and durability. This research, using several modeling approaches, attempts to look at some of the mechanical changes likely to take place in the promised artificial tissue, while considering the relationships between mechanical and living functions of bone, particularly the remodeling process. Results suggest that notwithstanding the significant improvements induced to the mechanical behavior of the artificial tissue, applications of such stiff inclusions as CNTs in reinforcing the material of bone may detrimentally change the thresholds of mechanical stimuli that are essential for the initiation and resumption of the bone remodeling process.
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, The University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 1N4, Canada.
authors.forename: Kaveh
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: PourAkbar Saffar
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, The University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 1N4, Canada.
authors.forename: Leszek J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Sudak
authors.affiliation: Department of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, The University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr NW, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 1N4, Canada.
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Federico
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001861:Bone Regeneration; D016723:Bone Remodeling; D006801:Humans; D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon / Q000737:chemistry*; D010012:Osteogenesis; D054457:Tissue Scaffolds / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D037742:Nanotubes, Carbon
keywords: bone; carbon nanotube; microcracking; remodeling; strain energy