Micro/nano-surface modification of titanium implant enhancing wear resistance and biocompatibility

Abstract

Micro/nano structured surface has been shown to effectively enhance the biological performance of titanium alloy implants, exhibiting faster postoperative recovery. However, a common drawback of bio-functionalized surfaces featuring structured characteristics is their susceptibility to wear. This study proposed a novel micro/nano surface modification method using ultrasonic milling and anodization to enhance both biocompatibility and wear resistance of the implant surface. First, hierarchical structures are fabricated on the titanium surface by utilizing ultrasonic milling and anodization to generate micro-scale and nano-scale structures, respectively. Linear reciprocating tests, contact angle tests, and surface morphology observation were conducted to investigate the surface properties. Then, cell proliferative and adhesive abilities were tested on different modified surfaces by using mouse osteoblasts. Finally, nonosilver coatings were created on the structured surface by vapor deposition and the antibacterial performance was tested using staphylococcus aureus. The experiment results reveal a significant improvement in wear resistance, biological properties, and antibacterial capabilities of the processed surface, demonstrating the great application potential of the proposed method for implant surface modification.