Also: magnesium alloys, bioresorbable metal
Magnesium alloys slowly dissolve in the body, so researchers study them for screws and stents that disappear after healing.
Readiness: lab lab studies · prototype demonstrated objects · commercial products or buildings in real use · review summaries of other studies.
Staiger and colleagues reviewed magnesium alloys as degradable orthopedic implant materials.
As reported in: Staiger, Pietak, Huadmai et al. (2006). Magnesium and its alloys as orthopedic biomaterials: A review. Biomaterials. doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2005.10.003
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Witte and colleagues tracked four magnesium alloys corroding inside animal bone and found new bone forming around them.
Built / tested: degradable bone implants
As reported in: Witte, Kaese, Haferkamp et al. (2005). In vivo corrosion of four magnesium alloys and the associated bone response. Biomaterials. doi:10.1016/j.biomaterials.2004.09.049
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