Abstract
In recent years, dental implants have become the preferred approach for the restoration of missing teeth. At present, most dental implants are made of pure titanium, and are affected by peri-implantitis and bone resorption, which usually start from the implant neck, due to the complex environment in this region. To address these issues, in this study we modified the surface of titanium (Ti) implants to exploit the antibacterial and osteoinductive effects of single-layer graphene sheets. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-grown single-layer graphene sheets were transferred to titanium discs, and a method for improving the adhesion strength of graphene on Ti was developed due to compromised adhesion strength between graphene and titanium surface. A thermal treatment of 2 h at 160 °C was found to enhance the adhesion strength of graphene on Ti to facilitate clinical transformation. Graphene coatings of Ti enhanced cell adhesion and osteogenic differentiation, and imparted antibacterial activity to Ti substrate; these favorable effects were not affected by the thermal treatment. In summary, the present study elucidated the effects of a thermal treatment on the adhesion strength and osteoinductive activity of single-layer graphene sheets on titanium substrates.
Highlights
Graphene, first isolated by Novoselov and Geim in 2004, has a unique two-dimensional (2D) hexagonal structure made of sp2-hybridized carbon atoms[1]
Thermal treatment is the last step of the transferring process to remove polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), and we found that prolonged time and higher temperature of thermal treatment improve the adhesion between graphene and Ti substrate
By summarizing the results of these Raman spectroscopy examinations, we found that thermal treatment of 80, 100, 160, and 200 °C for 2 h did not influence the integrity of graphene sheets on Ti substrates, since the typical spectra of single-layer graphene could be observed on the area without scratches
Summary
First isolated by Novoselov and Geim in 2004, has a unique two-dimensional (2D) hexagonal structure made of sp2-hybridized carbon atoms[1]. Several studies have reported promising effects of graphene and its derivatives on cell adhesion, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation[10,11,12]. We found that the adhesion strength of graphene on the Ti surface is not satisfied enough for future clinical application[13]. It is urgent to find a solution to improve the adhesion strength between graphene and titanium. In this study, we attempted to improve the adhesion strength of graphene on the surface of a Ti substrate through a thermal treatment. We investigated the effects of the graphene coating (with and without thermal treatment) on the in vitro and in vivo cell adhesion, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation. The incorporation of single-layer graphene is expected to impart a stable antibacterial and osteoinductive properties to the titanium surface
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