Hindustan Times reported that scientists at the Department of Metallurgical Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology Banaras Hindu University have succeeded in producing nickel-free surgical grade stainless steel, cheaper and much safer than stainless steel that contains titanium, cobalt-chromium and nickel and was being used in organ transplantation in the human body. Associate Professor Dr Girija Shankar Mahobia said “The common side effects of nickel are fatigue, swelling and skin allergy. In some circumstances, there may also be a risk of developing lung, heart and kidney disease. Due to rusting of metal inside the body, nickel also starts coming out along with various elements. Its dissolving capacity can be as high as 20 milligrams per kilogram, which is very dangerous. Keeping all these things in mind, it became necessary to invent a cheap and effective metal in which nickel is negligible and it does not have any side effects in the body.” Dr Mahobia said “It does not stick to magnets. The strength of the new metal is twice that of the metal currently in use, which will reduce the weight of the equipment by half. Due to its adaptability to the body, it can also be used to make heart related devices like stents, pacemakers, valves etc. The new metal has absolutely no impurities, due to which its anti-fatigue properties are very good.” Principal investigator Dr GS Mahobia and Dr OP Sinha designed the chemical composition of the new metal and got it produced at Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited-Hyderabad. Nitrogen and manganese were added to the new metal by removing the nickel. Also, other components such as chromium and molybdenum are mixed in a favorable ratio. Due to this, the mechanical properties and anti-corrosion properties of the metal are higher than those of the currently used stainless steel. Professor Vakil Singh contributed as an advisor to the entire project. A patent has been filed for this in April 2020.
Hindustan Times reported that scientists at the Department of Metallurgical Engineering at Indian Institute of Technology Banaras Hindu University have succeeded in producing nickel-free surgical grade stainless steel, cheaper and much safer than stainless steel that contains titanium, cobalt-chromium and nickel and was being used in organ transplantation in the human body. Associate Professor Dr Girija Shankar Mahobia said “The common side effects of nickel are fatigue, swelling and skin allergy. In some circumstances, there may also be a risk of developing lung, heart and kidney disease. Due to rusting of metal inside the body, nickel also starts coming out along with various elements. Its dissolving capacity can be as high as 20 milligrams per kilogram, which is very dangerous. Keeping all these things in mind, it became necessary to invent a cheap and effective metal in which nickel is negligible and it does not have any side effects in the body.” Dr Mahobia said “It does not stick to magnets. The strength of the new metal is twice that of the metal currently in use, which will reduce the weight of the equipment by half. Due to its adaptability to the body, it can also be used to make heart related devices like stents, pacemakers, valves etc. The new metal has absolutely no impurities, due to which its anti-fatigue properties are very good.” Principal investigator Dr GS Mahobia and Dr OP Sinha designed the chemical composition of the new metal and got it produced at Mishra Dhatu Nigam Limited-Hyderabad. Nitrogen and manganese were added to the new metal by removing the nickel. Also, other components such as chromium and molybdenum are mixed in a favorable ratio. Due to this, the mechanical properties and anti-corrosion properties of the metal are higher than those of the currently used stainless steel. Professor Vakil Singh contributed as an advisor to the entire project. A patent has been filed for this in April 2020.