Title

A Modified Surface on Titanium Deposited by a Blasting Process

Authors

Caroline O' Sullivan, School of Pharmacy, Cavanagh Building, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland and Department of Chemical and Process Engineering, Cork Institute of Technology, Bishopstown, Cork, IrelandFollow
Peter O'Hare, The Nanotechnology and Integrated BioEngineering Centre, University of Ulster at Jordanstown, Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, BT37 OQB, Northern Ireland
Greg Byrne, School of Electrical, Electronic & Mechanical Engineering, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
Liam O'Neill, Research & Development, EnBIO, Carrigtohill, Cork, Ireland
Katie B. Ryan, School of Pharmacy, Cavanagh Building, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
Abina M. Crean, School of Pharmacy, Cavanagh Building, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland

Document Type

Article

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Disciplines

Biology and Biomimetic Materials | Chemical Engineering | Materials Chemistry | Materials Science and Engineering | Other Chemistry

Publication Details

Coatings

Abstract

Abstract

: Hydroxyapatite (HA) coating of hard tissue implants is widely employed for its biocompatible and osteoconductive properties as well as its improved mechanical properties. Plasma technology is the principal deposition process for coating HA on bioactive metals for this application. However, thermal decomposition of HA can occur during the plasma deposition process, resulting in coating variability in terms of purity, uniformity and crystallinity, which can lead to implant failure caused by aseptic loosening. In this study, CoBlast™, a novel blasting process has been used to successfully modify a titanium (V) substrate with a HA treatment using a dopant/abrasive regime. The impact of a series of apatitic abrasives under the trade name MCD, was investigated to determine the effect of abrasive particle size on the surface properties of both microblast (abrasive only) and CoBlast (HA/abrasive) treatments. The resultant HA treated substrates were compared to substrates treated with abrasive only (microblasted) and an untreated Ti. The HA powder, apatitic abrasives and the treated substrates were characterized for chemical composition, coating coverage, crystallinity and topography including surface roughness. The results show that the surface roughness of the HA blasted modification was affected by the particle size of the apatitic abrasives used. The CoBlast process did not alter the chemistry of the crystalline HA during deposition. Cell proliferation on the HA surface was also assessed, which demonstrated enhanced osteo-viability compared to the microblast and blank Ti. This study demonstrates the ability of the CoBlast process to deposit HA coatings with a range of surface properties onto Ti substrates. The ability of the CoBlast technology to offer diversity in modifying surface topography offers exciting new prospects in tailoring the properties of medical devices for applications ranging from dental to orthopedic settings.

Recommended Citation

O’Sullivan C, O’Hare P, Byrne G, O’Neill L, Ryan K B and Crean A M 2011 A Modified Surface on Titanium Deposited by a Blasting Process Coatings 1 53–71 Online: http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/coatings1010053