Evaluation of biological properties and effects of selected sterilization techniques on electrophoretically deposited composite coatings on titanium alloy for bone implant applications.
The development of bacterial infection surrounding the peri-implant tissues is one of the main reasons for unsuccessful implantation procedures. To prevent bacterial deposits on the implant surface and the formation of biofilm, antibacterial coatings are produced. However, the problem is the controlled release of the therapeutic substance from the coating over the long period of implant usage and maintaining the pro-osteointegration effect of those surfaces at the same time. Usually, the phenomenon of "burst release" is observed, i.e. a rapid release of a high dose of the drug in a short time, which may harm the human body and for example bone cells. The scientific goal of the project is to produce by electrophoretic method (EPD) a smart and long-lasting composite coating on the surface of titanium alloy Ti13Nb13Zr that will ensure controlled antibacterial properties and at the same time high osteointegration activity and to determine their biological properties and to evaluate the effect of selected sterilization techniques on its properties. These systems based on intelligent polymers sensitive to pH changes have been proposed: chitosan (CS), poly(4-vinylpyridine) (P4VP), and Eudragit E 100 (EE100), which will be enriched with an antibacterial substance - silver nanoparticles (AgNPs), and proosteointegrate component – mesoporous bioactive glass nanoparticles (MBGNPs). The obtained surface modification is primarily intended to provide antibacterial protection by controlling the release of the therapeutic substance in an environment simulating model human body fluids, only at the time of inflammation, i.e. with a decrease in pH in the environment of the perivascular tissues, throughout the extended implant usage time. The material used for the study will be a surface pre-treated titanium alloy Ti13Nb13Zr. The coatings will be produced using various deposition parameters such as concentration of polymers, AgNPs, and MBGNPs in suspension, voltage, and deposition time. The produced smart composite coatings will be subjected to numerous tests to determine their thickness, topography, chemical and phase composition, distribution of nanoparticles in the coating, mechanical properties (hardness, adhesion of the coating to the substrate), rate of release of nanoparticles to the model solution of physiological fluid at different pH, corrosion resistance and degree of coating degradation over time at different pH in the solution of the model physiological fluid, wettability, and surface energy. Biological tests (cytotoxicity tests, e.g. MTT, LDH, antibacterial tests) will be carried out at NTUT. The project will also determine the effect of selected sterilization techniques (such as autoclaving, and UV radiation) on selected coating properties (NTUT). The research problem was undertaken because of the lack of similar works for the model implant made of Ti13Nb13Zr alloy. The determinant of the process of producing this type of smart composite coatings by the electrophoretic method has not been known yet. No publication concerning the effect of sterilization of such coatings has been found. The research problem presented in the project is new both on a national and global scale. The development of technology for the production of this type of composite coatings on titanium alloy Ti13Zr13Nb will significantly contribute to the development of bioactive titanium implants, and thus to the development of material engineering, mainly in the field of biomaterials
Details
- Project's acronym:
- AURUM PLUS
- Financial Program Name:
- INNY
- Organization:
- Ministerstwo Nauki i Szkolnictwa Wyższego (MNiSW)
- Agreement:
- DEC-2/1/2024/IDUB/II.1a/Au+ z dnia 2025-02-27
- Realisation period:
- 2025-03-01 - 2026-02-28
- Research team leader:
- dr inż. Łukasz Pawłowski
- Realised in:
- Division of Biomaterials Technology
- Project's value:
- 44 550.00 PLN
- Request type:
- Different
- Domestic:
- Domestic project
- Verified by:
- No verification
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