US Scientists create new super hard metal alloy
A group of US Scientist led by Prof Emilia Morosan, of Rice University, Houston, have created a new titanium gold alloy (β-Ti3Au). In tests this alloy has shown to be 4 times harder than pure titanium and has reduced rates of wear and tear when compare to pure titanium. This new alloy also show good biocompatibility. This means that this alloy shows excellent properties to be used in orthopaedic, dental, and prosthetic applications.
This is exciting news in my opinion as the average titanium knee replacement lasts about 10 years. A replacement knee made of β-Ti3Au could potentially last much longer. Hopefully, this new alloy can be put to use in the near future and improve the quality of life of people with replacement joints.
For more information please on this topic see the BBC news article. Or for the brave of you there is the actual Journal entry in Science advances. There is also a short interview with Prof Emilia Morosan (the project lead) available at http://medicalresearch.com/author-interviews/titanium-gold-compound-may-extend-life-of-joint-implants/26352/.