Department Seminar: Piezoelectric materials in biomedical applications: being functional under special boundary conditions

Speaker: Julia Glaum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology 

Title: Piezoelectric materials in biomedical applications: being functional under special boundary conditions

Abstract: The ability to convert an electrical field into a mechanical perturbation and vice versa makes piezoelectric materials fundamentally interesting objects of study as well as versatile components for industrial applications. In recent years, research on piezoelectric materials for biomedical applications, as for nerve and bone tissue repair, in vivo sensors or energy harvesting components, has gained significant momentum. However, the boundary conditions that have to be met to make these materials work in an in vivo environment are quite different to the ones in their established industrial applications The main challenge here is that the implanted materials have to be biocompatible. This is a concept that goes way beyond simple chemical toxicity, but covers all aspects that influence the safe performance of a material at the implant site under the complex conditions that the body imposes. Material and implant design have to be re-thought to match these requirements e.g. in terms of cytotoxicity and structural stability in the presence of body fluids.

In this presentation we will take an in-depth look at the applicability and biocompatibility of piezoelectric materials for in vivo biomedical applications. We will investigate the boundary conditions that the body imposes on implant materials in different applications and how these might impact the functionality and stability of piezoelectric implants. And vice versa we will look into the influence of material properties, such as surface topography, chemical composition and mechanical properties, on the living system. You will, furthermore, get an overview of some of the steps we have taken to enable piezoelectric BaTiO₃ and (K,Na)NbO₃ ceramics for bone implant applications, e.g. to understand their chemical stability in body simulating fluids and the impact of sterilization routines on their functional performance.

Piezoelectric materials show great promise for a wide range of biomedical applications. Each comes with their specific set of biochemical and mechanical boundary conditions. To transfer piezoelectric materials safely into the biomedical realm, a fundamental understanding of the complex interplay between them and their host environment before and during the implantation period is crucial – it’s a wide field of research!

Bio: Julia Glaum received her Diploma in Physics from the Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen, Germany in 2006 and her PhD in Materials Science from the Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany in 2010. After a Postdoctoral stay at UNSW Sydney, Australia, she moved to the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in 2015. Here, she is now heading a research group with its main focus on functional materials for biomedical applications. Her main research activities stretch from the development of materials and components suitable for in-vivo applications to studies on material stability and reliability under physiological conditions. Furthermore, she is the leader of the Synergy Group “Biomedical Materials Science” that merges research and educational efforts in biomedical materials science at NTNU.

Webinar link: https://iastate.zoom.us/j/96207634962?pwd=SmdkVnBWcHlxU2RtZnA2dUJsdmR1Zz09