Anodisation of medical grade titanium

Abstract

In recent years the number of titanium dental implants in use has significantly increased. At the same time bacterial infection of implants has become more common. The goal of our study was to develop a titanium-dioxide layer on the surface of titanium implant materials by anodisation with a view to impeding the attachment of contagious bacteria. In our experiments Grade 2 titanium and nanograin Grade 2 titanium discs were subjected to anodisation. We investigated the effect of voltage on the surface pattern of emerging titanium-dioxide. We examined the surfaces by reflected-light microscopy. We found that the value of the applied voltage and variation in grain size affected the thickness of the formed titanium-dioxide layer. These layers may promote or support desired forms of biological activity, such as cell attachment to integrate with bone. DOI: 10.17489/biohun/2013/1/22