No abstract

The domain structure of ferroelectric ceramics can be altered by the process of electrical poling. This paper develops quantitative approaches for reflection geometry and spherical harmonic texture analysis, both of which describe these changes at angles parallel to and tilted from the poling axis. The x-ray-diffraction approach uses the relative intensity ratio of ferroelectric poles in poled and unpoled lead zirconate titanate to calculate a domain switching fraction (η) or a multiple of a random distribution, which are shown to be linearly related. An x-ray area detector diffractometer was used for these measurements, although the technique applies to any x-ray reflection geometry. The neutron-diffraction approach employs a Rietveld refinement with a spherical harmonic texture model. Both approaches calculate similar domain textures for two poling fields and the small differences between the approaches can be attributed to surface domain texture. This paper shows that the March–Dollase pole distribution function can inadequately describe domain textures.

Previous studies have demonstrated increased osteoblast (bone-forming cells) adhesion on titanium and Ti-6Al-4V anodized to possess nanometer features compared with their unanodized counterparts. In this study, osteoblast long-term functions (specifically, synthesis of intracellular proteins, synthesis of intracellular collagen, alkaline phosphatase activity, and deposition of calcium-containing minerals) were determined on titanium anodized to possess either heterogeneous nanoparticles or ordered nanotubes. Titanium was anodized in dilute hydrofluoric acid at 20 V for 20 min to possess nanotubes, while titanium was anodized at 10 V for 20 min to possess nanoparticles. Most importantly, results showed that calcium deposition significantly increased on anodized titanium with nanotube-like structures compared with unanodized titanium and anodized titanium with nanoparticulate structures after 21 days of osteoblast culture. In this manner, the results of the present in vitro study indicated that anodization might be a promising quick and inexpensive method to modify the surface of titanium-based implants to induce better bone cell functions important for orthopedic applications.

No abstract

Abstract:In the last 10 years, biodegradable aliphatic polyesters, such as poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA), have attracted increasing attention for their use as scaffold materials in bone tissue engineering because their degradation products can be removed by natural metabolic pathways. However, one main concern with the use of these specifi c polymers is that their degradation products reduce local pH, which in turn induces an infl ammatory reaction and damages bone cell health at the implant site. Thus, the objective of the present in vitro study was to investigate the degradation behavior of PLGA when added with dispersed titania nanoparticles. The results of this study provided the fi rst evidence that the increased dispersion of nanophase titania in PLGA decreased the harmful change in pH normal for PLGA degradation. Moreover, previous studies have demonstrated that the increased dispersion of titania nanoparticles into PLGA signifi cantly improved osteoblast (bone-forming cell) functions (such as adhesion, collagen synthesis, alkaline phosphatase activity, and calcium-containing minerals deposition). In this manner, nanophase titania-PLGA composites may be promising scaffold materials for more effective orthopedic tissue engineering applications.