Differences in microstructural characteristics of dense HA and HA coating

Bioactive polymer grafting onto titanium alloy surfaces

Bioactive polymers bearing sulfonate (styrene sodium sulfonate, NaSS) and carboxylate (methylacrylic acid, MA) groups were grafted onto Ti6Al4V alloy surfaces by a two-step procedure. The Ti alloy surfaces were first chemically oxidized in a piranha solution and then directly subjected to radical polymerization at 70 degrees C in the absence of oxygen. The grafted surfaces were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectrometry (ToF-SIMS) and the toluidine blue colorimetric method. Toluidine blue results showed 1-5microgcm(-2) of polymer was grafted onto the oxidized Ti surfaces. Grafting resulted in a decrease in the XPS Ti and O signals from the underlying Ti substrate and a corresponding increase in the XPS C and S signals from the polymer layer. The ToF-SIMS intensities of the S(-) and SO(-) ions correlated linearly with the XPS atomic percent S concentrations and the ToF-SIMS intensity of the TiO(3)H(2)(-) ion correlated linearly with the XPS atomic per cent Ti concentration. Thus, the ToF-SIMS S(-), SO(-) and TiO(3)H(2)(-) intensities can be used to quantify the composition and amount of grafted polymer. ToF-SIMS also detected ions that were more characteristic of the polymer molecular structure (C(6)H(4)SO(3)(-) and C(8)H(7)SO(3)(-) from NaSS, C(4)H(5)O(2)(-) from MA), but the intensity of these peaks depended on the polymer thickness and composition. An in vitro cell culture test was carried out with human osteoblast-like cells to assess the influence of the grafted polymers on cell response. Cell adhesion after 30min of incubation showed significant differences between the grafted and ungrafted surfaces. The NaSS grafted surfaces showed the highest degree of cell adhesion while the MA-NaSS grafted surfaces showed the lowest degree of cell adhesion. After 4 weeks in vivo in rabbit femoral bones, bone was observed to be in direct contact with all implants. The percentage of mineralized tissue around the implants was similar for NaSS grafted and non-grafted implants (59% and 57%). The MA-NaSS grafted implant exhibited a lower amount of mineralized tissue (47%).

Effect of coating thickness and its material on the stress distribution for dental implants

Dental implants have been increasingly used to recover the masticatory function of lost teeth. It has been well known that the success of a dental implant is heavily dependent on initial stability and long-term osseointegration due to optimal stress distribution in the surrounding bones by the concept implant surface coating. Hydroxyapatite (HAP), as a coating material, has been widely used in dentistry due to its biocompatibility. Some investigations show a benefit of coating dental implants with HAP, and others concluded that HAP coating reduces the long-term implant survival. Therefore, the aim of this investigation is to design a new functionally graded dental implant coating, as well as studying the effect of coating thickness on the maximum von Mises stresses in bone adjacent to the coating layer. The gradation of the elastic modulus is changed along the longitudinal direction. Stress analysis using a finite element method showed that using a coating thickness of 150 microm, functionally graded from titanium at the apex to the collagen at the root, will successfully reduce the maximum von Mises stress in bone by 19% and 17% compared to collagen and HAP coating respectively.

Bond-coating in plasma-sprayed calcium-phosphate coatings

The influence of bond-coating on the mechanical properties of plasma-spray coatings of hydroxyatite on Ti was investigated. Plasma-spray powder was produced from human teeth enamel and dentine. Before processing the main apatite coating, a very thin layer of Al2O3/TiO2 was applied on super clean and roughened, by Al2O3 blasting, Ti surface as bond-coating. The experimental results showed that bond-coating caused significant increase of the mechanical properties of the coating layer: In the case of the enamel powder from 6.66 MPa of the simple coating to 9.71 MPa for the bond-coating and in the case of the dentine powder from 6.27 MPa to 7.84 MPa, respectively. Both tooth derived powders feature high thermal stability likely due to their relatively high content of fluorine. Therefore, F-rich apatites, such those investigated in this study, emerge themselves as superior candidate materials for calcium phosphate coatings of producing medical devices. The methods of apatite powder production and shaping optimization of powder particles are both key factors of a successful coating. The methods used in this study can be adopted as handy, inexpensive and reliable ways to produce high quality of powders for plasma spray purposes.

Significance of melt-fraction in HVOF sprayed hydroxyapatite particles, splats and coatings

Microstructure characterization and property evaluation of high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) sprayed hydroxyapatite (HA) splats and coatings were conducted in the present study as a function of the proportion of melting that occurred in HA particles during HVOF spray. In vitro behavior of single and folded HA splats in simulated body fluid was also investigated. Results showed that phase composition of as-sprayed HA coatings was influenced significantly by the melt fraction in HVOF sprayed particles. Melt fraction of the HA powders were experimentally determined from particle morphology analysis. It was found that the spray parameters and starting powder size influenced the melt fraction of the particles. In vitro investigation of individual HA splats made from different HA particles revealed decisive role of local phase composition in influencing their dissolution/precipitation behavior during the test. Furthermore, Raman spectroscopy qualitative inspection on the sprayed HA particles (partial melted) revealed that thermal decomposition occurred within the melted part rather than the unmelted zone. Young's modulus and micro-hardness of the as-sprayed particles and coatings were determined using nano-indentation technique. The resolidified zone of the sprayed HA particles exhibited an average Young's modulus value of 41.25 GPa. The measured values ranged from 23.1 to 65.3 GPa. The unmelted part of the HA powders showed a markedly narrower range. Young's modulus value of 83.9 GPa (+/-9.4 GPa) was recorded for this region. This succinctly highlight the difference between the unmelted region and melted regions of a HA particle. Young's moduli values measured on HVOF coatings were found to mirror the trend found in the spheroidised particles and splats with apt fidelity.

Processing-microstructure-property relations in HVOF sprayed calcium phosphate based bioceramic coatings

Hydroxyapatite (HA) based bioceramic coatings were deposited onto titanium alloy substrates using the high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) spray technique. This study aimed to reveal the relations among processing parameters, microstructure, and properties of the bioceramic coatings. The processing conditions were altered through changing the starting HA powder size, content of bioinert ceramic additives or composite powder preparation techniques. Coating structure was characterized through scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM); and the mechanical properties, Young's modulus and fracture toughness, of the coatings were evaluated through indentation techniques. Results demonstrated dominant influence of the melt state of HA powders on the phase composition of resultant coatings, and it was found that the HVOF HA coatings possess competitive mechanical properties. Furthermore, addition of titania or zirconia, as secondary phase in HA, showed promising effect on improving the mechanical properties of the HVOF HA-based coatings. Chemical reactions between HA and titania; and, HA and zirconia during coating deposition were revealed and characterized. Incorporation modes of the additives into HA and their reinforcing mechanisms were elucidated. The relationship among the processing, microstructure, and mechanical properties of the HVOF sprayed bioceramic coatings was summarily examined.

Enhanced functions of osteoblasts on nanostructured surfaces of carbon and alumina

It is of the utmost importance to increase the activity of bone cells on the surface of materials used in the design of orthopaedic implants. Increased activity of such cells can promote either integration of these materials into surrounding bone or complete replacement with naturally produced bone if biodegradable materials are used. Osteoblasts are bone-producing cells and, for that reason, are the cells of interest in initial studies of new orthopaedic implants. If these cells are functioning normally, they lay down bone matrix onto both existing bone and prosthetic materials implanted into the body. It is generally accepted that a successful material should enhance osteoblast function, leading to more bone deposition and, consequently, increased strength of the interface between the material and juxtaposed bone. The present study provided the first evidence of greater osteoblast function on carbon and alumina formulations that mimic the nano-dimensional crystal geometry of hydroxyapatite found in bone.

In vivo evaluation of hydroxyapatite foams

Hydroxyapatite (HA) is widely applied as bone graft material due to its osteoconductive potential and well-established biocompatibility. In this work, macroporous hydroxyapatite structures made through foaming of aqueous suspensions and gelcasting were tested for in vivo osteointegration. These foams are composed of a three-dimensional array of spherical pores with diameters of approximately 100-500 microm, interconnected by windows of smaller size in the range of 30-120 microm. The HA foams were implanted in the tibia of albino New Zealand rabbits and removed after a period of 8 weeks. Histological analysis revealed that the pores in the foams were partially or completely filled progressively with mature new bone tissue and osteoid after the implanted period. No immune or inflammatory reactions were detected. The high osteoconductive potential of the HA foams provides a potential structure for use as bone substitute in orthopedic, oral, and cranio-maxillofacial reconstructive surgery, and as dento-alveolar implants.

Titanium dioxide reinforced hydroxyapatite coatings deposited by high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) spray

Hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings with titania addition were produced by the high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) spray process. Mechanical properties of the as-sprayed coatings in terms of adhesive strength, shear strength and fracture toughness were investigated to reveal the effect of the titania reinforcement on HA. Qualitative phase analysis with X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed that mutual chemical reaction between TiO2 and HA, that formed CaTiO3 occurred during coating formation. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) analysis of the starting powders showed that the mutual chemical reaction temperature was approximately 1410 degrees C and the existence of TiO2 can effectively inhibit the decomposition of HA at elevated temperatures. The positive influence of TiO2 addition on the shear strength was revealed. The incorporation of 10 vol% TiO2 significantly improved the Young's modulus of HA coatings from 24.82 (+/- 2.44) GPa to 43.23 (+/- 3.20) GPa. It decreased to 38.51 (+/- 3.65) GPa as the amount of TiO2 increased to 20 vol%. However, the addition of TiO2 has a negative bias on the adhesive strength of HA coatings especially when the content of TiO2 reached 20 vol%. This is attributed to the weak chemical bonding and brittle phases existing at the splats' interface that resulted from mutual chemical reactions. The fracture toughness exhibited values of 0.48 (+/- 0.08) MPa m0.5, 0.60 (+/- 0.07) MPa m0.5 and 0.67 (+/- 0.06) MPa m0.5 for the HA coating, 10 vol% TiO2 blended HA coating and 20 vol% TiO2 blended HA coating respectively. The addition of TiO2 in HA coating with the amount of less than 20 vol% is suggested for satisfactory toughening effect in HVOF HA coating.