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Selective modification of Ti6Al4V surfaces for biomedical applications

Year: 2020

Journal: RSC Adv., Volume 10, MAY 7, page 17642–17652

Authors: Rodriguez, Gabriela Melo; Bowen, James; Zelzer, Mischa; Stamboulis, Artemis

Organizations: European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie [645749]; School of Metallurgy and Materials/University of Birmingham

The surface of a medical implant is required to interact favourably with ions, biomolecules and cells in vivo, commonly resulting in the formation of the extracellular matrix. Medical grade Ti6Al4V alloy is widely used in orthopaedic and dental applications for bone replacement due to its advantageous mechanical properties and biocompatibility, which enhances the adhesion between native tissue and the implanted material. In this study, chemical and thermal modification of a medical-grade Ti6Al4V alloy were performed to enhance electrostatic interactions at the alloy surface with a synthetic peptide, suitable for conferring drug release capabilities and antimicrobial properties. The modified surfaces exhibited a range of topographies and chemical compositions depending primarily on the treatment temperature. The surface wetting behaviour was found to be pH-dependent, as were the adhesive properties, evidenced by chemical force titration atomic force microscopy.