Thin TiO2 Nanocoating of Porous Titanium through Radio Frequency Magnetron Sputtering to Improve the Biological Response of Orthopedic Implants

: The present study applied a TiO2 nanocoating on a titanium foam substrate produced by powder metallurgy through magnetron sputtering. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and X-ray diffraction (XRD) were employed to investigate the surface morphologies of the porous specimens and pre- and post-coating phases, respectively. Also, the growth and proliferation of MG-63 cells (osteoblasts) and their attachment and proliferation on the coated porous titanium specimen (relative to the uncoated specimens) were studied using in vitro and methyl thiazol tetrazolium (MTT) cytotoxicity tests. Considering the porous macrostructure of the coated titanium specimen and the nanostructure of the TiO2 coating on the porous surface and macro-pore walls, the coated specimen was found to be effective in the biocompatibility improvement of dental and orthopedic implants.

Poly(methyl methacrylate) Coating of Titanium Workpieces to Reduce Burrs in Micro-drilling

A technique to reduce burr height in titanium micro-drilling is presented: a poly (methyl methacrylate) coating was applied before machining on the upper and lower surfaces of a titanium specimen (0.5-mm thick). After drilling, a cleaning process (acetone bath) was executed to eliminate the coating, and holes with less burr were obtained. The coating process was executed with a spin-coating machine. To test the efficacy of the technique, two different coating thicknesses (7.9 and 5.4 μm) and two drill bits (0.25- and 0.5-mm diameter) were evaluated. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of the holes obtained were performed with scanning electron microscopy and three-dimensional microscopy, respectively. The results highlight the efficacy of the technique to reduce the burr height by 70% in coated titanium relative to that in an uncoated titanium sheet.

Linear elastic finite element investigation of titanium specimen produced by Additive Manufacturing

Nowadays orthopaedic implants are mainly fabricated from solid material (titanium alloy). The mechanical properties of these implants are much stronger than human bone tissue’s properties, and this leads to fixation problems and a short lifetime, but today these problems can be eliminated with the usage of metal additive manufacturing. The mechanical properties of the implants can be influenced on demand with the variation of the material structure using different sizes and types of unit cells for building up its structure.