Abstract
This work concerns the development of a method of functionalization of the surface of the biomedical Ti–6Al–7Nb alloy by producing oxide nanotubes (ONTs) with drug-eluting properties. Shaping of the morphology, microstructure, and thickness of the oxide layer was carried out by anodization in an aqueous solution of 1 M ethylene glycol with the addition of 0.2 M NH4F in the voltage range 5–100 V for 15–60 min at room temperature. The characterization of the physicochemical properties of the obtained ONTs was performed using SEM, XPS, and EDAX methods. ONTs have been shown to be composed mainly of TiO2, Al2O3, and Nb2O5. Single-walled ONTs with the largest specific surface area of 600 cm2 cm−2 can be obtained by anodization at 50 V for 60 min. The mechanism of ONT formation on the Ti–6Al–7Nb alloy was studied in detail. Gentamicin sulfate loaded into ONTs was studied using FTIR, TG, DTA, and DTG methods. Drug release kinetics was determined by UV–Vis spectrophotometry. The obtained ONTs can be proposed for use in modern implantology as carriers for drugs delivered locally in inflammatory conditions.
Highlights
The progress of civilization has led to increased requirements for medical care, which should become more effective in solving the many health problems of an aging society
Based on the SEM results obtained, it can be concluded that higher voltages generate oxide nanotubes (ONTs) of regular shapes
An increase in atomic concentration due to electrochemical modification was, observed for titanium and niobium. Such variations may occur partly due to different amounts of surface contamination and to the surface modification process itself. These variations were accompanied by changes in the chemical states of the individual elements visualized in the high-resolution X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) spectra in Figures 5 and 6
Summary
The progress of civilization has led to increased requirements for medical care, which should become more effective in solving the many health problems of an aging society. Self-organized ONT layers on titanium and its alloys are produced by anodization, usually at a constant voltage in the range of 1–30 V in aqueous electrolytes or 5–150 V in nonaqueous electrolytes with the addition of fluoride ions (0.1–1 wt%) [6,7,8,9,10,12,13,14,15,16,18,19,20,21,23,24,25] During this electrochemical oxidation process carried out in electrolytes containing fluoride ions on the anode surface, the oxidation and dissolution of metal oxides take place. The present work considers the functionalization of the Ti–6Al–7Nb alloy by producing the third-generation ONTs on its surface to develop innovative long-term implants with extended drug-eluting ability. The assessment of the obtained ONTs for use as gentamicin sulfate (GS) carriers for local antibiotic therapy in bacterial infection after implantation was carried out
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