ABSTRACT
In artificial metallic joint implants, the failure is provoked by two effects in most of the cases: mass loss and wear debris removed due to tribological-corrosive effects on the implant alloy, and infections due to the presence of bacteria. In this work, several Ti-C-N corrosion and wear protective coatings were developed by Physical Vapour Deposition technology, and deposited on Ti6Al4V alloy. In order to provide the implant antibacterial properties, an additional silver top coating has been deposited. Tribological behavior was characterized through tribocorrosion and fretting tests. On the other hand, wettability tests were performed to study the grade of hydrophilicity/hydrophobia. Additionally, antibacterial properties were evaluated by means of bacterial adhesion tests. As a result of these characterization studies, the coating with the best performance was selected. The as-coated material includes excellent protection against tribocorrosion and fretting effects (in relation to the uncoated one) and the silver layer has been confirmed to exhibit antibacterial properties.
Subject(s)
Anti-Bacterial Agents/chemistry , Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology , Carbon/chemistry , Mechanical Phenomena , Nitrogen/chemistry , Titanium/chemistry , Titanium/pharmacology , Alloys , Bacterial Adhesion/drug effects , Corrosion , Humans , Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic Interactions , Materials Testing , Staphylococcus epidermidis/drug effects , Staphylococcus epidermidis/physiology , Surface PropertiesABSTRACT
PURPOSE: The knowledge of the mechanical response of bones and their substitutes is pertinent to numerous medical problems. Understanding the effects of mechanical influence on the body is the first step toward developing innovative treatment and rehabilitation concepts for orthopedic disorders. METHODS: This was a comparative study of 5 synthetic scaffolds based on porous calcium phosphates and natural bones, with regard to their microstructural, chemical, and mechanical characterizations. The structural and chemical characterizations of the scaffolds were examined by means of X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray spectroscopy analysis. The mechanical characterization of bones and bone graft biomaterials was carried out through compression tests using samples with noncomplex geometry. RESULTS: Analysis of the chemical composition, surface features, porosity, and compressive strength indicates that hydroxyapatite-based materials and trabecular bone have similar properties.
