Molybdenum (Mo) and molybdenum alloy materials have wide applications in the manufacturing industry, aerospace industry, steel smelting, petrochemical industry, medical devices, national defense construction and other industrial fields. In the field of medicine, the most widely known and closely relevant to our lives is molybdenum target.
Mammography is to take pictures of breast tissue to achieve the purpose of diagnosis by using soft X-ray, the structure mainly includes X-ray tube, high-voltage generator, rack/mechanism, compression plate, image processing device(or cassette), puncture biopsy system, image post-processing system (CAD) and digital workstation, etc. It is one of the most commonly used examination methods in breast surgery with many advantages such as noninvasive, less pain, simple, convenient and high sensitivity. This kind of examination has the highest detection rate and is also the currently most advanced examination method for breast cancer.
Why is molybdenum target suitable for breast detection? Its X-ray tube anode is made of Mo, while the anode of ordinary X-ray tube is made of tungsten. The atomic number of Mo is 42, and the number of tungsten is 74, the atomic number of Mo is much lower than that of tungsten. The X-ray energy emitted is low after electron bombardment, and the wavelength of the spectral line is about 0.6. Therefore, this feature is quite suitable for the transmission imaging of soft tissue. The atomic number of tungsten is much higher, after electron bombardment its X-ray energy is much higher. Wavelength is short, and the penetrating power is strong, it is suitable for bone imaging, but not suitable for soft tissue imaging.
In addition to the above application, Mo is also used in other medical fields such as the microporous structure made by molybdenum and titanium, for its good mechanical property, good biocompatibility and excellent matching with the elastic modulus of human hard tissue, Mo is often used as hard tissue repair and replacement materials.
