Titanium Nanosurface Modification by Anodization for Orthopedic Applications

Abstract

ABSTRACTTitanium is broadly used in orthopedic and dental applications mainly because of its optimal mechanical properties in load-bearing applications. However, insufficient new bone formation is frequently observed on titanium which sometimes leads to implant loosening and failure. For this reason, the objective of the present in vitro study was to modify the surface of conventional titanium to include nanostructured surface features that promote the functions of osteoblasts (bone-forming cells). This study focused on creating nanostructured titanium surfaces since bone itself has a large degree of nanostructured roughness that bone cells are accustomed to interacting with. In this study, the surface of titanium was modified by anodic oxidation techniques. The electrolyte used for anodization was hydrofluoric acid. Depending on acid concentration and anodization time, two kinds of different nano-architectures, either particulate or tube-like structures, were formed on the titanium surface. X-ray diffraction results confirmed that the titanium oxide formed on the surface of titanium was amorphous. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) were used to characterize the surface morphology. Cell adhesion studies showed that the anodized nanostructured titanium surface promoted osteoblast adhesion compared to non-anodized titanium. This result indicated that anodization may be a simple method to modify the surface of titanium implants to enhance bone-forming cell function thereby increasing orthopedic implant efficacy.