Abstract
Surface topography and composition influence the osteoblastic proliferation and osseointegration rates, which favor the biomechanical stability of bone anchoring and implants. In recent years, beta titanium alloys have been developed, and are composed of biocompatible elements, have low elastic modulus, high corrosion resistance, and mechanical properties to improve the long performance behavior of biomaterials. In the present research, the influence of the acid-etching process was studied in Ti6Al4V ELI and Ti35Nb10Ta1.5Fe. Samples were etched in a two-step acid treatment. Surface roughness parameters were quantified under a confocal microscope, topography was studied by scanning electron microscopy, and surface composition was analyzed with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. The results revealed that the two-step acid treatment changes the topography of the β alloy, increases the surface area, and changes the chemical composition of the surface. Two differentiated regions were identified in the Ti35Nb10Ta1.5Fe alloy after the acid-etching process: The α + β region with higher values of mean roughness due to the lower chemical resistance of this region; and the β region with lower values of roughness parameters.
Highlights
The development of new beta titanium alloys and surface treatments to improve the long performance of implants and to cut patient hospitalization times, recovery periods, and clinical implant revisions has attracted the interest of researchers [1]
The aim of this work was to study the effect of the double acid-etching process on the roughness and topography of the surface of Ti35Nb10Ta1.5Fe alloys obtained by conventional Powder metallurgy (P/M), and to compare the results obtained with Ti6Al4V ELI from casting with the same surface treatment
New β titanium alloys were synthesized using conventional powder metallurgy that contained a higher content of alloying elements and with a low Young’s modulus and adequate mechanical properties that render them suitable for use as biomedical implants
Summary
The development of new beta titanium alloys and surface treatments to improve the long performance of implants and to cut patient hospitalization times, recovery periods, and clinical implant revisions has attracted the interest of researchers [1]. Higher concentrations of vanadium particles on the tissue closest to the implant material have been mentioned in some titanium alloy studies These particles are toxic, may have a carcinogenic effect for patients, and can cause interferences with cell growth [4,5,6,7]. At the beginning of the 1990s, the development of β titanium alloys commenced, mainly due to their higher fatigue and corrosion resistance levels and lower Young’s modulus. Those beta titanium alloys present less-toxic alloying elements (e.g., niobium, tantalum) which decrease Young’s modulus compared with commercially pure titanium and Ti-6Al-4V ELI alloys employed as biomaterials. The Young’s modulus mismatch between the implant and bone reduce the load transfer, increasing the bone reabsorption rate [8,9]
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