bmdo technologies for biomedical applications - MDA Technology

ION-BEAM SURFACETREATMENT FOR IMPLANTS• IBEST can help strengthen the surfacesof weight-bearing artificial joints.BMDO HISTORYSandia National Laboratories (Albuquerque, NM) developed an ion-beamtreatment technique called IBEST (ion-beam surface treatment) to modifysurfaces of metals, ceramics, and plastic to make them more durable.The repetitive high-energy pulsed-power (RHEPP) accelerator developedfor this treatment was funded in part by BMDO’s Free Electron Laserweapons program and the Department ofEnergy’s Inertial Confinement Fusion program.IBEST does not produce environmen-More than 90 percenttally harmful waste products or residue,of hip replacements lastunlike predecessor technologies such asat least 10 years. This electroplating and other chemical processes.To commercialize the patented IBEST technology,two Sandia scientists obtained exclu-statistic is expected tosive worldwide rights to IBEST and formedimprove as materials and a new company called QM Technologies,Inc. (Albuquerque, NM).techniques evolve further.HOW IT WORKSRHEPP accelerators deliver short-duration,high-intensity ion beams. This combination of rapid pulsing and high energyallows controlled melting and surface modification of various materials.The heart of the RHEPP accelerator is a magnetically confined anode plasma(MAP) diode, invented at Cornell University. Through this device, anelectrical pulse is delivered to a pre-ionized gas inside the MAP diode. Theelectrical pulse kicks ions out of the plasma that then travel through a vacuumto the surface to be modified. The IBEST ion beam can cover severalhundred square centimeters at once. Very thin surface layers (2 to 20micrometers thick) are rapidly melted and cooled, forming nanocrystallinegrain layers without changing the atomic composition of the treated surface.68MEDICAL SIGNIFICANCEMedical implants, especially weight-bearing hip joints for replacement surgeries,need to be durable. The longer a joint remains functional, the longerthe patient can avoid a second surgery to replace a failed or worn implant.Modern artificial hips are often made of composite material, usually aceramic that is coated with a durable metal, such as titanium, at the femurhead (the “ball” of the ball-and-socket hip arrangement). Minute cracks inthe metal coating allow calcium ions from the synovial fluid (lubricatingfluid in the joint) to migrate through to the composite material of thereplacement, causing the material to break down. IBEST treatment can minimizeor eliminate these cracks, resulting in a longer-lived joint.Chapter 3 - Intervention TechnologiesSection A - ImplantsBMDO Technologies for Biomedical Applications