24. February 2026
(CONNECT) The innovative approach based around combining the advantages of both materials in titanium-magnesium implants needs to be refined further. This is the conclusion reached by a research team that investigated how these materials behave in the human body. According to a statement, this was visualized using the Swiss Spallation Neutron Source SINQ at PSI.
The idea is that by combining the two materials it is possible to make the implants more effective. Titanium is used because of its high strength. The magnesium component dissolves over time and promotes bone growth. However, when magnesium degrades, hydrogen is released. The team of researchers from the Institute of Metallic Biomaterials at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon in Geesthacht in Germany and the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum in Garching near Munich exposed their hybrid samples to a saline solution that was designed to mimic body fluids over a period of several days.
The team then used neutron tomography at PSI because “neutrons are very sensitive to hydrogen due to its large scattering cross-section, while X-ray techniques typically fail to detect it”, as Dr Richi Kumar, instrument scientist at the MLZ, explains in the statement. “With 3D imaging, it is possible to map the presence of hydrogen inside the volume, providing insights into the extent of hydrogenation of samples”, she adds.
The fact that hydrogen is absorbed by the titanium alloy at room temperature indicates that the naturally thin protective layer on the titanium surface, the oxide layer, has been damaged. This allows hydrogen to penetrate the titanium more easily, which can make the material brittle. In turn, this compromises the stability of the component.
According to Kumar, this emphasizes the necessity of a well-thought-out design and a need to take interactions between the elements into account so as to “ensure that the presence of one material does not affect the properties of the second material. This is not only relevant for hybrid implants but also for any situation where titanium and magnesium are used in close proximity”. ce/mm
