What are the functions of biomedical materials that benefit mankind?

If a person has a fracture, the doctor should fix the affected area with plaster; When there are teeth, the cavity should be filled with light-cured polymer restoration materials; Many people are familiar with barium meals taken during X-ray fluoroscopy. These materials are biomedical materials, also known as biomaterials, which are used to combine with biological systems to diagnose, treat or replace internal tissues and organs or improve their functions.

There are many kinds of biomedical materials, which can be natural products, synthetic materials, combinations of them, and mixed materials of living cells or natural tissues and inanimate materials. Biomedical materials are different from drugs, and their main therapeutic purposes are not necessarily achieved through chemical reactions or metabolism in vivo, but they can play a pharmacological role and even be used as pharmacologically active substances. Direct combination with biomaterials is the most basic characteristic of biomedical materials, such as implant materials that directly enter the human body, materials that directly contact with blood in external auxiliary devices such as artificial heart, lung, liver and kidney, etc. Biomedical materials not only have certain physical and chemical properties, but also must meet the requirements of biological properties, that is, biocompatibility, which is the most important feature that distinguishes them from other functional materials.

Biomedical materials are divided into medical metals and alloys, medical polymer materials, bioceramics and biomedical composite materials formed by their combination according to composition and performance. The treated natural tissue, because of its special source, is another bio-derived material. According to the level of biochemical reaction in biological environment, it can be divided into nearly inert, bioactive and biodegradable absorption materials. According to clinical use, it can also be divided into bone, joint, tendon and other bone-muscle system repair substitute materials; Soft tissue materials such as skin, breast, esophagus, respiratory tract and bladder; Medical membrane materials such as artificial heart valves, blood vessels and cardiovascular intubation; Tissue adhesives and suture materials; Drug release carrier materials; Clinical diagnostic and biosensor materials and dental materials. Biomedical materials are related to human health. Production and use must conform to the international organization for standardization or Chinese national standards, and its safety and reliability must be strictly evaluated and recognized before it can be put into use.