This article provides a summary of materials science, materials integration strategies, materials properties, and design and development of new generations of industrial products, high-tech and external/implantable medical devices/prostheses, and treatment of medical conditions, based on the unique biocompatible Ultrananocrystalline Diamond (UNCD™) coating co-developed by Auciello and colleagues, and key oxide films and nanoparticles, to improve the quality of life of people worldwide
The target audience for this article includes undergraduate/graduate students, postdocs, scientists and engineers in Academia and Industry in different fields of science and technology, including materials scientists, mechanical engineers, bioengineers, applied physicists/chemists, medical device designers/manufacturers, and medical doctors/surgeons, who, by knowing more about biomaterials and devices they are implanting in people, may make better decisions when selecting a device based on the appropriate material for implantation.
Information for manufacturers on the revolutionary Ultrananocrystalline Diamond coating
This article also provides valuable information to manufacturers of medical implants, about the new revolutionary UNCD™ coating that can be grown directly on current bare metal-based implantable devices (e.g., dental implants, hips, knees, and more), eliminating failure due to synergistic mechanical/chemical (due to body fluids)-induced degradation. The information on the science/technology of UNCD coatings, for medical devices/prostheses, is also valuable for the public, for them to know that a new transformational biocompatible material named UNCD, in coating form, can produce new generation of implantable medical devices, prostheses, and artificial cells grown and differentiated on the UNCD’s surface, the latter enabling new artificial biological treatments of degenerated human natural cells, such that UNCD-based biotechnologies provide revolutionary improvements in the way/quality of life of people worldwide.
Technologies already demonstrated and in an advanced and less advanced state of development are described briefly and shown in the Figure below, providing a summary of products already in the world market and under development for insertion into the world market, as described below in order of state of development:
Ultrananocrystalline Diamond-coated mechanical pump seals/bearings and Atomic Force Microscope tips, marketed worldwide since early 2000s by Advanced Diamond Technologies (ADT Inc.) (company founded by Auciello and colleagues, sold, in 2019, to large company (John Crane), now manufacturing products based on UNCD coatings).
Ultrananocrystalline Diamond films were demonstrated as hermetic/best biocompatible/bioinert coating for encapsulation of Si microchip (“Artificial Retina”), implantable on human eye’s retina, to restore Partial Vision to people blinded by retinitis pigmentosa (10 years of R&D (2000-2010) by group of scientists, engineers, biologist, medical doctors, surgeons (four Universities, five National Laboratories, and a USA-Company (Second Sight)) resulted in the Argus II device (currently without the UNCD-coated Si chip, because needs FDA approval), implanted in hundreds of blind people in the USA and Europe, returning partial vision.
A new generation of Li-ion Batteries (LIB)
New generation of Li-ion Batteries (LIB) with order of magnitude longer stable capacity energy life and safer than current LIBs. The new LIBs are based on unique electrically conductive Nitrogen atoms grain boundary incorporated N-UNCD coating on current commercial anodes / cathodes, eliminating Li-corrosion. N-UNCD- based LIBs are under advanced state of development for new generation Defibrillator/Pacemaker/implantable battery powered medical devices, and cell phones and portable electronics.
Unique water purification system with water-corrosion resistant electrically conductive Boron-doped UNCD-coated metal electrodes, producing electrolysis-induced ozone molecules, killing all viruses/pathogens in water.
UNCD™-coated new generation of implantable prostheses: 1) UNCD- coated commercial metal dental implants (DIs) (50 patients implanted in Mexico (2018-present), demonstrated that these prostheses are the new revolution, with UNCD coating eliminating chemical attack by oral fluids, which destroy ~15% of current Ti-alloys DIs inserted in people’s mouth worldwide; 2) Other prostheses with UNCD coating under development include artificial metal hips/knees.
Novel integrated biocompatible super- paramagnetic oxide (Fe2O3-approved by FDA-USA) nanoparticles injectable in human eye, attracted by magnetic field generated by external UNCD™-coated magnet, push detached retina back on inner wall of human eye, providing new transformational retina reattachment process, order of magnitude better/safer than current treatment injecting gas or oil bubbles in the eye (animal and initial clinical tests on humans, performed in Argentina by ophthalmologist surgeon Saravia, Auciello, and colleagues demonstrated the new treatment).
Super-hydrophobic UNCD™- coated polymer-based valves
Super-hydrophobic UNCD™-coated polymer-based valves have been demonstrated, providing order of magnitude better performance than current uncoated polymer valves, to pump out fluid from the inner eye with trabecular drainage tubes clogged (glaucoma condition-second cause of blindness).
Novel UNCD™-based scaffolds provide order of magnitude better surfaces for growing pluripotent stem cells and inducing electric-field-based diferentiation into other human cells for developmental biology and biological treatment of human medical conditions.
Integrated multifunctional piezoelectric oxides or nitrides/UNCDTM films on tailored substrates to produce a new generation of biomedical MEMS Energy Generation, Drug Delivery and Sensor Devices.
