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Science & Technology

New metal is four times tougher than titanium

By T.K. Randall
July 24, 2016 · Comment icon 18 comments

The metal is perfect for medical implants. Image Credit: CC BY-SA 3.0 CSIRO
Scientists have created a brand new type of super-metal by melting together titanium and gold.
Developed by Professor Emilia Morosan and her team at Rice University in Houston, the new metal is now the hardest known metallic substance compatible with living tissue and could prove invaluable in the production of long-lasting medical implants.

Described as a "next generation compound for substantively extending the lifetime of dental implants and replacement joints", the metal was discovered during work involving magnets.
Part of the research had involved turning several experimental materials in to a powder to check their purity, but when the team turned their attention to this one it was found to be so tough that it couldn't even be ground up using a diamond-coated mortar and pestle.

"It's four times harder than pure titanium," said Professor Morosan.

Source: BBC News | Comments (18)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #9 Posted by qxcontinuum 8 years ago
maybe this way we get a little closer to Sitchin's theory about Sumerians and the reason they created humanity. Sitchin said years ago that they needed workers to mine gold for them very much required in their space saga.
Comment icon #10 Posted by sepulchrave 8 years ago
The original scientific article is available here (free to read). As always, it pays to at least take a look at the article before jumping to assumptions... This new alloy is definitely not the hardest material or even the hardest metal. (The scientific article points out that common ceramics like boron nitride and tungsten carbide are harder, as is high-carbon steel.) The major significance of this finding is that the new alloy (b-Ti3Au) is bio-compatible: Human bone will tightly bond to it and titanium and gold are non-toxic. Pure titanium is currently used in joint replacements, but pure ti... [More]
Comment icon #11 Posted by Essan 8 years ago
If I recall correctly,. Sitchin's Nibblers needed gold to put into the atmosphere of Nibiru so that for the 3599 years that the planet spent hiding in the very farthest depths of the solar system, way, way, way beyond Pluto, it didn't get slightly chilly at night   (how putting gold in the atmosphere provides the universe's most effecting insulation ever has never been explained.  But that's sci-fi for you .....)
Comment icon #12 Posted by Goodf3llow 8 years ago
Interesting since Gold is soft..wonder how it compares to Graphene or Carbyne?
Comment icon #13 Posted by Noteverythingisaconspiracy 8 years ago
Apart from the fairly major detail that Sitchin's entire story is made up.  I use the word story instead of theory on purpose. A theory requires verifiable evidence. Sitchin had none.
Comment icon #14 Posted by sepulchrave 8 years ago
Graphene isn't a hard material. Graphene has a high tensile strength when the sheet is pulled, but is also brittle and will crack easily if the sheet is folded. As far as I know, carbyne is a functional group and not a material.
Comment icon #15 Posted by willieaames 8 years ago
Four times tougher and 1000x more expensive (Ti is about $14/lb, gold is $20800/lb).
Comment icon #16 Posted by LV-426 8 years ago
Slipknot are definitely at least four times tougher than titanium, Linkin Park not so much... Ohh, hang on... Science & Technology... Nothing to see here, moving on...
Comment icon #17 Posted by woopypooky 8 years ago
how does it compare to diamonds?
Comment icon #18 Posted by sepulchrave 8 years ago
This titanium-gold alloy is much, much softer than diamond. The Ti3Au has a hardness of around 800 HV (see the original article, "results and discussion" section), diamond has a hardness of 10 000 HV.


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