Mechanical Behavior of Bi-Layer and Dispersion Coatings Composed of Several Nanostructures on Ti13Nb13Zr Alloy.

Dorota Rogala-Wielgus,Michał Bartmański,Bartosz Bartosewicz,Beata Majkowska-Marzec,Andrzej Zieliński

doi:10.3390/ma14112905

Dorota Rogala-Wielgus, Michał Bartmański + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14112905

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Abstract

Titanium implants are commonly used because of several advantages, but their surface modification is necessary to enhance bioactivity. Recently, their surface coatings were developed to induce local antibacterial properties. The aim of this research was to investigate and compare mechanical properties of three coatings: multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs), bi-layer composed of an inner MWCNTs layer and an outer TiO2 layer, and dispersion coatings comprised of simultaneously deposited MWCNTs and nanoCu, each electrophoretically deposited on the Ti13Nb13Zr alloy. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray electron diffraction spectroscopy, and nanoindentation technique were applied to study topography, chemical composition, hardness, plastic and elastic properties. The results demonstrate that the addition of nanocopper or titanium dioxide to MWCNTs coating increases hardness, lowers Young’s modulus, improves plastic and elastic properties, wear resistance under deflection, and plastic deformation resistance. The results can be attributed to different properties, structure and geometry of applied particles, various deposition techniques, and the possible appearance of porous structures. These innovative coatings of simultaneously high strength and elasticity are promising to apply for deposition on long-term titanium implants.

Highlights

Carbon thin coatings continue to attract attention, fueled by their potential for industrial and commercial applications
Extraordinary high mechanical properties led to extensive research on the use of Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) as a reinforcing agent to produce composites [3,4,5] and laminar coatings [5] with various materials, such as Al2O3 [6,7,8], hydroxyapatite (HAp) [4,9,10,11,12,13], titanium [4], titanium dioxide (TiO2) [5,8,14,15,16], ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) [17,18], nickel [19,20,21,22], aluminum [23,24,25], chromium [26], and copper [22]
These parameters should be controlled to reduce the adverse effects of multi-wall carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) [31,32]

Summary

Introduction

Carbon thin coatings continue to attract attention, fueled by their potential for industrial and commercial applications. After the reports on CNTs bioactive properties, their application in the biomedical field increased [1,27]. Reported on many other important factors determining the cytotoxicity of CNTs, such as the type of CNTs, the type of functionalization, the purification of the product, and dispersion. These parameters should be controlled to reduce the adverse effects of MWCNTs [31,32]. Benko et al [29] conducted biocompatibility tests on titanium modified with CNTs using the human osteoblast-like cell line MG63. The result confirmed the non-toxic character of the tested materials and showed improvement in the biocompatibility of the modified titanium substrate. As so far reports on suspected toxicity are inconsistent and the use of CNTs against bacteria as promising and easy, to achieve titanium surface modification cannot be excluded

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