Science & Technology

New metal is four times tougher than titanium

By T.K. Randall
July 24, 2016

Image: AI-generated (Midjourney) 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

Tags: Metal, Titanium, Gold