Scientists have shown for the first time that carbon nanotubes
make an ideal scaffold for the growth of bone tissue. The new
technique could change the way doctors treat broken bones,
allowing them to simply inject a solution of nanotubes into a
fracture to promote healing. The report appears in the June 14
issue of the American Chemical Society's journal Chemistry of
Materials. ACS is the world's largest scientific society. The
success of a bone graft depends on the ability of the scaffold
to assist the natural healing process. Artificial bone scaffolds
have been made from a wide variety of materials, such as
polymers or peptide fibers, but they have a number of drawbacks,
including low strength and the potential for rejection in the
body. "Compared with these scaffolds, the high mechanical
strength, excellent flexibility and low density of carbon
nanotubes make them ideal for the production of lightweight,
high-strength materials such as bone," says Robert Haddon,
Ph.D., a chemist at the University of Calif