Biomaterials and Biocompatibility

This course serves as an engineering introduction to the field of biomaterials and biocompatibility, and assumes some background in biology and organic chemistry. The first part of the class will cover the structure and properties of materials used as biomaterials including ceramics, metals, synthetic polymers, and natural materials. The structures, chemistry, and surface morphology of these materials will be reviewed and how these factors ultimately define the biocompatibility of a material. The second part of the course will cover host reactions to biomaterials and an emphasis on common clinical applications of biomaterials. The process of material selection for biocompatibility will be introduced with regards to body responses including cell and tissue interaction, immunological responses, and toxicity and safety. Students will be presented with problems of property characterization, failure analysis and performance testing. Design criteria, material selection, performance, property retention, stability, and typical failure modes will be presented.