Plastics ‘with memory’ in medicine

2002/06/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Materialak

As published in the journal Science, biodegradable plastic that recovers the original appearance when heated can have medical applications.

This material consists of two polymers and, when mixed, the plastic is able to act in one way or another depending on the temperature: at the highest temperature, the plastic adopts its natural appearance, while when cooled can be prolonged or collected for a time (it can be four times smaller or greater than the original).

This may have some medical application, for example, the wound closure points can be left untightened, as the stitches are tightened when heated.

The bone-tie screws, on the other hand, can be folded and then pick up the original appearance and size, so that the doctor makes a cut much smaller than for the normal screw. It certainly seems a very interesting material for surgery without invasion.