Home > News

Diamond Titanium Composite 3D Printed for Smart Implants

十月21, 2025

3D-Printed Diamond -Titanium Hybrid Material Powers the Next Generation of Smart Implants

Researchers have developed a 3D-printed diamond–titanium hybrid that can harvest energy from body fluids and wirelessly transmit power, paving the way for self-powered medical implants.

In a breakthrough that merges materials science and biomedical engineering, a team led by Joshua Zarins has unveiled a new additively manufactured diamond–titanium composite capable of both energy harvesting and wireless energy transfer inside the human body. The work, published in Advanced Functional Materials (2025), could transform how implanted medical devices are powered and monitored.

The hybrid material is produced using laser-directed energy deposition, a form of metal 3D printing. During fabrication, microscopic diamond particles are embedded into a titanium alloy matrix, creating a structure that is both mechanically strong and electrically active. Microscopy and spectroscopy confirm a robust interface between the two materials, featuring titanium carbide bonds and stable diamond phases.

Once implanted, the device can generate electricity from flowing body fluids—such as blood or saline—through a solid–liquid triboelectric effect. As the fluid passes over the diamond-titanium surface, electrical charges build up and release, producing measurable voltage and current signals. In tests, the system successfully harvested power from pulsating saline flow and wirelessly transmitted the signal to an external sensor.

Beyond harvesting energy, the 3D-printed structure also supports wireless power transfer. Using both capacitive and inductive coupling, the team demonstrated that the material could receive energy through tissue and power a small LED light. The inductive version, shaped as a microcoil, resonated at 825 MHz with a high quality factor, suitable for biomedical communication and wireless charging applications.

According to the researchers, the combination of diamond’s biocompatibility and dielectric strength with titanium’s toughness and printability makes this material uniquely suited for long-term implantation. The dual-function design enables implants that can self-power, sense environmental changes, and communicate wirelessly—all without external batteries or wires.

“This is a step toward implants that are not only smart but also self-sustaining,” the authors write. “By integrating energy generation and wireless transfer directly into the material, we can rethink how medical electronics interact with the human body.”

The innovation could benefit a wide range of applications, from neural interfaces and cardiac sensors to orthopedic implants that monitor bone healing in real time.



Please continue to read 

https://advanced.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/adfm.202508766