Corrosion and surface treatment of biomaterials

Repairing man" with (bio)materials to restore the integrity and functionality of his body after illness or trauma, or even amputation, has always been an inherent (and incessant) human quest. There are many testimonies and traces of the various therapies and solutions used in the past, in all the great civilizations. For example, the Chinese, and in parallel the Aztecs, were already using gold in dentistry . In ancient Egypt, recent excavations have uncovered prosthetic big toes made of wood and leather, perfectly imitating the missing toe, as well as artificial whole feet and articulated hands . History is littered with such cases. Many date back several millennia. For example, in the Rig Veda, an ancient Indian sacred book (compiled between 3500 and 1800 BC), it is mentioned that Queen Vishpla lost a leg through amputation following a war wound. After healing her wound, she received a steel prosthesis enabling her to walk again and return to the battlefield. Metals and wood were already frequently used, as were stones to replace eyes (aesthetic replacement) and even mother-of-pearl to repair teeth (trace of a dental repair of this type on a Mayan skull from Honduras , 2,000 years ago). However, other materials were also considered. The wise surgeon Susruta (circa 800 B.C.), the Indian equivalent of Hippocrates, emphasized the use of surgical instruments and materials with detail and precision in his treatise. He described sutures made from cotton fibers, leather, animal tendons, horsehair and various plant fibers. In France, equivalent work was reported by Ambroise Paré in the 16th century (artery ligation). In 1775, two surgeons from Toulouse (Lapeyode and Sicre) used iron sutures to reduce a fractured...