ASU Doctoral Student Grant Crawford Wants to Develop Better Implants for Hip and Knee Replacements

Life expectancy has increased significantly in the United States, with the average age of the population edging higher. This increase has resulted in a greater percentage of adults needing hip and knee replacements. With people living healthier and longer lives as they age, there is a need for implants that can withstand the daily demands of active adults, says Grant Crawford, a doctoral student in Materials Science Engineering.

Titanium and titanium alloys are increasingly being used for prosthetic implants, says Crawford, due to their high strength-to-weight ratio and corrosion resistance. "However, one of the problems with titanium is that it does not readily form a strong bond with human bone. This causes the implant to loosen over time, eventually leading to failure or replacement."

Grant's research goal is to find a bioactive coating for titanium that will encourage the growth of bone adjacent to the implant, leading to a more durable implant with greater load-bearing capacity. His research focuses on the microstructure and mechanical behavior of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanotube coatings to improve the prosthetic implants used in joint replacement.

Grant is originally from Wyoming and received his B.S. in Metallurgical Engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. He received numerous awards and scholarships, and worked in a paid internship at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.

Graduate work at ASU was an easy decision "because I wanted to do interdisciplinary research and ASU's reputation was great in this respect, with a good Biomedical Engineering department and Materials department." He also wanted to do research under Dr. Nikhilesh Chawla, a director and professor in the Mechanical Behavior of Materials Facility in the Fulton School of Engineering.

Since arriving at ASU, Crawford has twice received the ARCS (Achievement Awards for College Scientists) Foundation scholarship.

"One of the most important things I have learned," says Grant, "is that our scientific and technological worlds are ever-changing. In this regard it is no longer possible to be confined to a single field or discipline. During my time at ASU, I have learned that my education in materials science engineering applies not only to materials science, but to a variety of fields, such as biomedical engineering."

Whether his career leads to the academic or private sector, Crawford says "I would like to be involved in interdisciplinary cutting-edge research, where I can apply my knowledge to the benefit of society."