Evaluation of the Biocompatibility and Osteogenic Properties of Metal Oxide Coatings Applied by Magnetron Sputtering as Potential Biofunctional Surface Modifications for Orthopedic Implants

Abstract

Biomaterials with adequate properties to direct a biological response are essential for orthopedic and dental implants. The surface properties are responsible for the biological response; thus, coatings with biologically relevant properties such as osteoinduction are exciting options to tailor the surface of different bulk materials. Metal oxide coatings such as TiO2, ZrO2, Nb2O5 and Ta2O5 have been suggested as promising for orthopedic and dental implants. However, a comparative study among them is still missing to select the most promising for bone-growth-related applications. In this work, using magnetron sputtering, TiO2, ZrO2, Ta2O5, and Nb2O5 thin films were deposited on Si (100) substrates. The coatings were characterized by Optical Profilometry, Scanning Electron Microscopy, Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy, X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction, Water Contact Angle measurements, and Surface Free Energy calculations. The cell adhesion, viability, proliferation, and differentiation toward the osteoblastic phenotype of mesenchymal stem cells plated on the coatings were measured to define the biological response. Results confirmed that all coatings were biocompatible. However, a more significant number of cells and proliferative cells were observed on Nb2O5 and Ta2O5 compared to TiO2 and ZrO2. Nevertheless, Nb2O5 and Ta2O5 seemed to induce cell differentiation toward the osteoblastic phenotype in a longer cell culture time than TiO2 and ZrO2.

Development of Wide-Angle Depolarizing Reflector at 1064 nm

“…The coating materials for the transparent region in the near-infrared (NIR) band are selected according to the technical parameter requirements shown in Table 1 , and factors, such as material refractive index, mechanical properties, film layer stress matching, and film stability, are considered [ 12 , 13 ]. In the NIR band, the common coating materials are TiO 2 , ZrO 2 , HfO 2 , Ta 2 O 5 , MgF 2 , and SiO 2 .…”

UV Sterilization Effects and Osteoblast Proliferation on Amorphous Carbon Films Classified Based on Optical Constants

“…Although coating films have been investigated to improve biocompatibility for various biomaterials, their biological response is affected by surface roughness (especially micro-order). Therefore, the deposition of coating films on atomically flat Si substrates is preferred to minimize the influence of substrate surface roughness [ 22 ]. Accordingly, in this experiment, amorphous carbon films were deposited on 4-inch Si {100} substrates using various plasma processes, including PVD and CVD methods.…”

Biomaterials as Implants in the Orthopedic Field for Regenerative Medicine: Metal versus Synthetic Polymers

“…The orthopedic field has witnessed significant efforts to develop enhanced biomaterials for a range of applications. These applications encompass temporal osteosynthesis implants utilized in the treatment of bone fractures or critical defects, as well as permanent implants such as total knee replacement prostheses [ 141 , 142 ]. While bulk properties, specifically mechanical resistance and load-bearing capacity, are essential for bone-substituting implants [ 143 , 144 , 145 ], surface-related properties play a critical role in achieving optimal performance.…”

“…While bulk properties, specifically mechanical resistance and load-bearing capacity, are essential for bone-substituting implants [ 143 , 144 , 145 ], surface-related properties play a critical role in achieving optimal performance. These properties include osseointegration, osteosynthesis performance, infection prevention, and corrosion resistance [ 141 ].…”