Growth and surface characterization of TiNbZr thin films deposited by magnetron sputtering for biomedical applications.

Low modulus of elasticity and the presence of non-toxic elements are important criteria for the development of materials for implant applications. Low modulus Ti alloys can be developed by designing ß-Ti alloys containing non-toxic alloying elements such as Nb and Zr. Actually, most of the metallic implants are produced with stainless steel (SS) because it has adequate bulk properties to be used as biomaterials for orthopedic or dental implants and is less expensive than Ti and its alloys, but it is less biocompatible than them. The coating of this SS implants with Ti alloy thin films may be one alternative to improve the biomaterial properties at a relatively low cost. Sputtering is a physical deposition technique that allows the formation of nanostructured thin films. Nanostructured surfaces are interesting when it comes to the bone/implant interface due to the fact that both the surface and the bone have nanoscale particle sizes and similar mechanical properties. TiNbZr thin films were deposited on both Si(111) and stainless steel (SS) substrates. The TiNbZr/Si(111) film was used as a model system, while the TiNbZr/SS film might improve the biocompatibility and extend the life time of stainless steel implants. The morphology, chemical composition, Young's modulus, and hardness of the films were analyzed by atomic force microscopy (AFM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), and nanoindentation.

Caracterização do óxido de titânio formado nas superfícies Vulcano Actives e TiUnite / Characterization of titanium oxide on dental implants Vulcano Actives and TiUnite surfaces

A osseointegração dos implantes de titânio sem tratamento de superfície está associada à presença de uma fina camada de óxido de titânio do tipo rutilo presente em sua superfície. Para acelerar os mecanismos envolvidos na osseointegração e permitir a colocação da prótese em menor tempo que o inicialmente recomendado pelo Prof. Branemark, foram desenvolvidos os tratamentos das superfícies dos implantes por jateamento, ataque com ácido, deposição de nanopartículas de hidroxiapatita, flúor, magnésio e anodização em soluções eletroquímicas contendo fósforo e cálcio. Após os tratamentos da superfície dos implantes há formação de uma camada mista de óxidos de titânio composta de rutilo e anatase. O índice de êxito destes implantes mostra que a presença dos dois tipos de óxido de titânio não compromete a osseointegração. O presente trabalho tem o objetivo de caracterizar a camada de óxido de titânio existente em implantes anodizados com designações comerciais Vulcano Actives® e TiUnite® produzidos pelas empresas Conexão Sistemas de Prótese e Nobel Biocare, respectivamente. Os resultados das análises com XPS, difração de raios-X e Raman mostraram que nas superfícies dos implantes tratados por anodização há predomínio do óxido de titânio do tipo anatase. Considerando que os implantes sem tratamento de superfície possuem óxido de titânio na superfície diferente dos implantes com tratamento de superfície e todos apresentam osseointegração, conclui-se que existem os modos de interação entre a superfície do implante e as células são diferentes

The osseointegration of machined titanium dental implants is associated to the presence of a thin layer of rutile titanium oxide present on its surface. To accelerate the mechanisms involved in the osseointegration and to allow the placement of the prosthesis in less time as originally recommended by Professor Branemark, implants surface treatments were developed. Nowadays the implant surface is sandblasted, acid etched, receive a deposition of hydroxiapatite nanoparticles, fluorine, magnesium and anodized in solutions containing phosphorus and calcium. After the surface treatment was formed a layer of mixed oxides of titanium composed of rutile and anatase. The rate of success of anodized implants shows that the presence of two types of titanium oxide does not compromise the implant osseointegration. The aim of this work is to characterize the oxide layer of commercially titanium implants anodized branded as Vulcano Actives® and TiUnite® manufactured by Conexão Sistemas e Prótese (Brazil) and Nobel Biocare (Swede), respectively. The results of analyses with XPS, X-ray diffraction and Raman showed that the anodized dental implants surface has anatase titanium oxide. The machined dental implants without surface treatment and implant treated surface have different surface titanium oxide. As these implants show osseointegration it is suggested that they may be found to interact differently with cells