While it may not be as a catchy as the famous song from先生们喜欢金发，research fromRMIT University认为钻石是（也是3D打印机的最好朋友）。
More specifically, diamond, as it is made from carbon, improves the biocompatibility of 3D printed titanium implants. The breakthrough discovery made by Dr. Kate Fox and her team at RMIT’s School of Engineering sidesteps the immune system’s incredibly powerful defense mechanism which isthe main obstacleto developing new treatments for the body.
“Currently the gold standard for medical implants is titanium but too often titanium implants don’t interact with our bodies the way we need them to,” explains Fox.
“To work around this, we have used diamond on 3D scaffolds to create a surface coating that adheres better to cells commonly found in mammals.”
But wait, aren’t diamonds expensive?
The experimental implant in the RMIT study takes the form of a hollow cube. It was 3D printed in titanium using selective laser melting (SLM). After printing, the implant was then coated in diamond by a chemical vapor deposition method, that requires temperatures in excess of 1000°C.
For the diamond coating, researchers use detonation nanodiamonds (DNDs). Synthetically made, DNDs originate in an explosive mixture of TNT and RDX. According to Fox DNDs “are cheaper than the titanium powder” used to 3D print the implants.
身体“从钻石上壮成长”
将哺乳动物细胞播种并保持在模拟体内液体生物活性的条件下，将钻石涂层的立方体与未涂层的钛植入物进行了比较。
福克斯说：“这种涂层不仅促进了更好的细胞附着在底层钻石层层上，而且鼓励了哺乳动物细胞的扩散。”
“钻石增强了生物骨与人造植入物之间的整合，并在很长的时间内减少了细菌附着。”
在2周的时间内研究了样品，其中涂层显示磷灰石骨矿物质的沉积水平升高。
PhD researcher Aaqil Rifai, part of Fox’s team at RMIT, remarks, “Carbon,” the source material of diamond, “has an incredible level of biocompatibility,”
“我们的身体很容易接受并从钻石中壮成长，作为复杂材料接口的平台。”
即将推出？
RMIT is one of the recipients of AUD $12.1 million ($9.29 million USD) government funding to apply 3D printing, robotics and advanced manufacturing to the fabrication of“正好植入物”。虽然钻石包裹的盘子和销钉可能尚未放在卡片上，但福克斯的实验室希望有一天将这项技术引入市售植入物。
“Not only could our diamond coating lead to better biocompatibility for 3D-printed implants,” comments Fox, “but it could also improve their wear and resistance. It’s an exceptional biomaterial.”
Rifai adds, “The scalability of 3D printing is growing rapidly, so we can expect to see diamond coatings to become common in orthopaedics sometime in the near future.”
报道这一发现的支持论文：生物医学应用的添加钛的多晶钻石涂层”，发表在ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces杂志。
该研究归因于Aaqil Rifai，Nhiem Tran，Desmond W. Lau，Aaron Elbourne，Hualin Zhan，Alastair D. Stacey，Edwin L. H.C. Gibson，Andrew D. Greentree，Elena Pirogogova和Kate Fox。
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Featured image shows a diamond gem. Photo via Pixabay
