Well, these spheres and maps that always go together give valuable information about the metals used in structural applications. With them we can know if the material has its grains (this is how we call the crystalline units in which atoms are organized inside the metals) randomly oriented, or they preferred to orient themselves in a specific direction. This can change dramatically the mechanical properties of a metal, making it suitable for an airplane but useless for a bridge. But this is not all. The grain size and distribution can also change the rate at which a material corrodes, which influences its lifespan. This is the case of the materials that we investigate at the BCD group. The electron backscatter diffraction map and the pole figures (this are the technical names for the colored map and the spheres) show the grain distribution in a magnesium alloy. This Mg alloy has zinc and calcium in its composition. Playing with the Zn and Ca content we can tailor the degradation of Mg by changing the grain size, and therefore try to slow down the fast degradation of a metal that is commonly used in biomedical applications to manufacture medical devices, such as the case of Mg. Metallic microstructures are vital to understand how long a structure or a device will last, and in the field of tissue engineering it becomes important to be sure that the patient won’t suffer new complications.

So next time you are enjoying your life on a nice Equatorian beach you might think more about the cardiovascular stent that was implanted to your grandmother rather than the northern lights that you will never see wearing a swimsuit.

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