Biocompatibility of corrosion-resistant zeolite coatings for titanium alloy biomedical implants.

Titanium alloy, Ti6Al4V, is widely used in dental and orthopedic implants. Despite its excellent biocompatibility, Ti6Al4V releases toxic Al and V ions into the surrounding tissue after implantation. In addition, the elastic modulus of Ti6Al4V ( approximately 110GPa) is significantly higher than that of bone (10-40GPa), leading to a modulus mismatch and consequently implant loosening and deosteointegration. Zeolite coatings are proposed to prevent the release of the toxic ions into human tissue and enhance osteointegration by matching the mechanical properties of bone. Zeolite MFI coatings are successfully synthesized on commercially pure titanium and Ti6Al4V for the first time. The coating shows excellent adhesion by incorporating titanium from the substrate within the zeolite framework. Higher corrosion resistance than the bare titanium alloy is observed in 0.856M NaCl solution at pHs of 7.0 and 1.0. Zeolite coatings eliminate the release of cytotoxic Al and V ions over a 7 day period. Pluripotent mouse embryonic stem cells show higher adhesion and cell proliferation on the three-dimensional zeolite microstructure surface compared with a two-dimensional glass surface, indicating that the zeolite coatings are highly biocompatible.

Initial bacterial deposition on bare and zeolite-coated aluminum alloy and stainless steel.

In this study, the impact of zeolite thin film coatings on bacterial deposition and "biofouling" of surfaces has been investigated in an aqueous environment. The synthesis of two types of zeolite coatings, ZSM-5 coated on aluminum alloy and zeolite A coated on stainless steel, and the characterization of the coated and bare metal surfaces are described. The extent of cell deposition onto the bare and zeolite-coated aluminum alloy and stainless steel surfaces is investigated in a parallel plate flow chamber system under a laminar flow conditions. The initial rates of bacterial transfer to the various surfaces are compared by utilizing a marine bacterium, Halomonas pacifica g, under a range of ionic strength conditions. H. pacifica g deposited onto bare metal surfaces to a greater extent as compared with cells deposited onto the zeolite coatings. The surface properties found to have the most notable effect on attachment are the electrokinetic and hydrophobicity properties of the metal and zeolite-coated surfaces. These results suggest that a combination of two chemical mechanisms-hydrophobic and electrostatic interactions-contribute to the antifouling nature of the zeolite surface. Additional observations on the relative role of the hydrodynamic and physical phenomena are also discussed.