Fix, Heal, and Disappear: A New Approach to Using Metals in the Human Body

Abstract

An interesting trend in the development of modern materials for biomedical applications, especially from a corrosion standpoint, is bioabsorbability. The idea that once implanted, the device would stay in the human body only for the time it takes to “fix” the problem and then quietly dissolve (corrode) away is indeed fascinating. With this approach, corrosion becomes a desirable materials property.