New biomaterials obtained with ionizing radiations

In present-day surgery and medicine use is increasingly made of materials foreign to the organism in order to remedy a physiological defect either temporarily or permanently. These materials, known as ''biomaterials'', take widely varying forms: plastics, metals, cements, ceramics, etc. Biomaterials can be classified in accordance with their function: (a) Devices designed to be fully implanted in the human body in order to replace an anatomical structure, either temporarily or permanently, such as articular, vascular, mammary and osteosynthetic prostheses, etc.; (b) Devices having prolonged contact with mucous tissues, such as intra-uterine devices, contact lenses, etc.; (c) Extracorporeal devices designed to treat blood such as artificial kidneys, blood oxygenators, etc.; and (d) Biomaterials can also be taken to mean chemically inert, implantable materials designed to produce a continuous discharge of substances containing pharmacologically active molecules, such as contraceptive devices or ocular devices (for treating glaucoma). The two most important criteria for a biomaterial are those of biological compatibility and biological functionality. Techniques using ionizing radiation as an energy source provide an excellent tool for synthesizing or modifying the properties of plastics. The properties of polymers can be improved, new polymers can be synthesized without chemical additives (often the cause of incompatibility with tissue or blood) and without increased temperature, and polymerization can be induced in the solid state using deep-frozen monomers. Also, radiation-induced modifications in polymers can be applied to semi-finished or finished products. Examples are also given of marketed biomaterials that have been produced using radiation chemistry techniques