Rodrigo Lima de Miranda

Ultralow-fatigue shape memory alloy films

Memory alloys that avoid exhaustion Shape memory alloys can pop back into shape after being deformed. However, often these alloys cannot cope with a large number of deformation cycles. Chluba et al. find an alloy that avoids this pitfall, deforming 10 million times with very little fatigue (see the Perspective by James). Such low-fatigue materials could be useful in a plethora of future applications ranging from refrigerators to artificial heart valves. Science, this issue p. 1004; see also p. 968 Precipitates that reproducibly guide the phase transformations in shape memory alloys give rise to ultralow fatigue. [Also see Perspective by James] Functional shape memory alloys need to operate reversibly and repeatedly. Quantitative measures of reversibility include the relative volume change of the participating phases and compatibility matrices for twinning. But no similar argument is known for repeatability. This is especially crucial for many future applications, such as artificial heart valves or elastocaloric cooling, in which more than 10 million transformation cycles will be required. We report on the discovery of an ultralow-fatigue shape memory alloy film system based on TiNiCu that allows at least 10 million transformation cycles. We found that these films contain Ti2Cu precipitates embedded in the base alloy that serve as sentinels to ensure complete and reproducible transformation in the course of each memory cycle.

Comparison of the Fatigue Performance of Commercially Produced Nitinol Samples versus Sputter-Deposited Nitinol

Self-expanding vascular implants are typically manufactured from Nitinol tubing, using laser cutting, shape setting, and electropolishing processes. The mechanical and fatigue behavior of those devices are affected by the raw material and its processing such as the melting process and subsequent warm and cold forming processes. Current trends focus on the use of raw material with fewer inclusions to improve the fatigue performance. Further device miniaturization and higher fatigue life requirements will drive the need toward smaller inclusions and new manufacturing methods. As published previously, the high-cycle fatigue region of medical devices from standard processed Nitinol is usually about 0.4-0.5% half-alternating strain. However, these results highly depend on the ingot and semi-finished materials, the applied manufacturing processes, the final dimensions of test samples, and applied test methods. Fabrication by sputter deposition is favorable, because it allows the manufacturing of micro-patterned Nitinol thin-film devices without small burrs, heat-affected zones, microcracks, or any contamination with carbides, as well as the fabrication of complex components e.g., 3D geometries. Today, however, there is limited data available on the fatigue behavior for real stent devices based on such sputter-deposited Nitinol. A detailed study (e.g., using metallographic methods, corrosion, tensile, and fatigue testing) was conducted for the first time in order to characterize the micro-patterned Nitinol thin-film material.

Nitinol: Tubing versus sputtered film – microcleanliness and corrosion behavior

Corrosion behavior and microcleanliness of medical-device grade Nitinol tubing (Nix Ti1- x , x = 0.51; outer diameter 7 mm, wall thickness 0.5 mm), drawn from various ingot qualities, are compared to the characteristics of sputtered Nitinol film material (Nix Ti1- x , x = 0.51; thickness 50 µm). Electropolished tubing half-shell samples are tested versus as-received sputtered film samples. Inclusion size distributions are assessed using quantitative metallography and corrosion behavior is investigated by potentiodynamic polarization testing in phosphate-buffered saline at body temperature. For the sputtered film samples, the surface chemistry is additionally analyzed employing Auger Electron Spectroscopy (AES) composition-depth profiling. Results show that the fraction of breakdowns in the potentiodynamic polarization test correlates with number and size of the inclusions in the material. For the sputtered Nitinol film material no inclusions were detectable by light microscopy on the one hand and no breakdowns were found in the potentiodynamic polarization test on the other hand. As for electropolished Nitinol, the sputtered Nitinol film material reveals Nickel depletion and an Oxygen-to-Titanium intensity ratio of ∼2:1 in the surface oxide layer, as measured by AES.

Rotational UV lithography device for cylindrical substrate exposure.

Optical photolithograhy is a well developed technique, which is normally restricted to planar substrates used in microelectronics or microelectromechanical system fabrication. For other applications--e.g., patterning of stents--photolithography would be an attractive alternative to techniques such as laser structuring provided that the planar technique could be adapted to cylindrical geometries. This study presents the development of a three-dimensional UV photolithography exposure method using a synchronizing movement between a planar Cr mask and a circular substrate. This technique was successfully applied to tubes with outer diameters between 1 and 5 mm. A lateral resolution for a 5 microm feature size of 4.8 microm was achieved, which is close to the resolution of 4.6 microm for similar planar films.

Micropatterned freestanding magnetron sputtered Mg-alloy scaffolds

Abstract Freestanding scaffolds were fabricated of Mg5W (wt.% yttrium) alloy using magnetron sputtering technology. Appropriate method was found to produce scaffolds with high reproducibility, spatial resolution of 1 μm and good mechanical properties. Two different techniques were used for surface finishing, microblasting and chemical polishing. SEM investigation showed high surface quality after chemical polishing while microblasting influenced mechanical properties of the Mg5W alloy. Magnetron sputtering offers a high potential for the production of microstructured scaffolds.

Method for Fabricating Miniaturized NiTi Self-Expandable Thin Film Devices with Increased Radiopacity

Nitinol is the material of choice for many medical applications, in particular for minimally invasive implants due to its superelasticity and biocompatibility. However, NiTi has limited radiopacity which complicates positioning in the body. A common strategy to increase the radiopacity of NiTi devices is the addition of radiopaque markers by micro-riveting or micro-welding. The recent trend of miniaturizing medical devices, however, reduces their radiopacity further, and makes the addition of radiopaque markers to these miniaturized devices difficult. NiTi thin film technology has great potential to overcome such limitations and to fabricate new generations of miniaturized, self-expandable NiTi medical devices with additional functionalities, such as structured multilayer devices with increased radiopacity. For this purpose, we have produced superelastic thin film NiTi samples covered locally with Tantalum structures of different thickness and different shape. These multilayer devices were characterized regarding their mechanical and corrosion properties as well as their X-ray visibility. The superelastic behavior of the underlying NiTi layer is impeded by the Ta layer, and shows therefore a dependence on the Tantalum patterning geometry and thickness. No delamination was observed after mechanical and corrosion tests. The multilayers reveal excellent corrosion resistance, as well as a significant increase in radiopacity.

Comparison of Efficacy, Embolism Rate and Safety of Thrombectomy with Stent Retrievers in an Anterior Circulation Stroke Model

PURPOSE  Various stent retrievers differing in stent design and mechanical properties are currently available for the treatment of ischemic stroke. We conducted this in vitro study to compare the efficacy, embolism rate, and safety of commercially available stent retrievers and prototypes. MATERIALS AND METHODS  Whole blood thrombi were produced in a Chandler loop. The thrombi were inserted into the curved M1 segment of a silicone model of the anterior cerebral circulation. Thrombectomy maneuvers were performed with six commercially available stent retrievers and 2 prototypes with different strut thickness. Wall-stent apposition, first pass recanalization rate, retraction force, and embolism rate were compared. RESULTS  Devices with complete wall-stent apposition had the highest first pass recanalization rate and lowest embolism rate, but showed the highest retraction force. The prototype with thinner struts had a comparable recanalization and embolism rate, while a lower retraction force had to be applied compared to the prototype with thicker struts. CONCLUSION  Complete wall-stent apposition facilitates a higher recanalization rate and lower embolism rate but also correlates to a higher necessary retraction force and thus possibly higher risk of endothelium damage. Stent modifications leading to a reduced retraction force do not compromise efficacy and embolism rate. KEY POINTS   · Complete wall-stent apposition facilitates an effective thrombectomy. · Complete wall-stent apposition leads to higher retraction force and possibly greater endothelium damage. · Modifications of strut thickness do not compromise recanalization and embolism rate. · Thinner struts correlate with a lower retraction force. CITATION FORMAT · Larsen N, Oberbeck K, Lima de Miranda R et al. Comparison of Efficacy, Embolism Rate and Safety of Thrombectomy with Stent Retrievers in an Anterior Circulation Stroke Model. Fortschr Röntgenstr 2018; 190: 1053 - 1058.