Abstract.A crucial factor for in-growth of metallic implants in the bone stock is the rapid cellular acceptance whilst prevention of bacterial adhesion on the surface. Such contradictorily adhesion events could be triggered by surface properties. There already exists fundamental knowledge about the influence of physicochemical surface properties like roughness, titanium dioxide modifications, cleanness, and (mainly ceramic) coatings on cell and microbial behavior in vitro and in vivo.The titanium surface can be equipped with antimicrobial properties by plasma-based copper implantation, which allows the release and generation of small concentrations of copper ions during contact with water-based biological liquids.Additionally, the titanium surface was equipped with amino groups by the deposition of an ultrathin plasma polymer. This coating on the one hand does not significantly reduce the generation of copper ions, and on the other hand improves the adhesion and spreading of osteoblast cells.The process development was accompanied by physicochemical surface analyses like XPS, FTIR, contact angle, SEM, and AFM. Very thin modified layers were created, which are resistant to hydrolysis and delamination. These titanium surface functionalizations were found to have either an antimicrobial activity or cell-adhesive properties. Intramuscular implantation of titanium samples coated with the cell-adhesive plasma polymer in rats revealed a reduced inflammation reaction compared to uncoated titanium.
Plasma‐immersion ion implantation (PIII) is used for the insertion of copper into titanium and its alloys to impart antimicrobial properties. Physicochemical changes inside the subsurface of titanium are investigated after PIII with either oxygen or water vapor. O2‐Cu‐PIII produces copper oxides inside the surface of the titanium oxide; H2O‐Cu‐PIII produces metallic copper inside the created titanium oxide compound. The length of the PIII pulses can exert control over the ion flux and the substrate temperature. H2O‐Cu‐PIII produces rutile structures with copper inside the lattice. The antimicrobial activity is tested with bacteria and the cytocompatibility with osteoblasts is investigated.
The application of antimicrobial surfaces to titanium alloy (Ti) implants would be beneficial to prevent implant‐associated infections of joint endoprostheses and osteosyntheses. Copper (Cu) could be advantageously applied for this purpose, since it exhibits a well‐known antimicrobial activity and is a trace element in the human body, i.e., it is non‐toxic in small concentrations. This approach was evaluated with two plasma‐based surface modification procedures:
Implantation of Cu ions into Ti by means of plasma immersion ion implantation (PIII) and
Coating of Ti surfaces with CuTi films by means of dual high power impulse magnetron sputtering (dual HiPIMS).
In this manner, the surfaces could be equipped with various amounts of Cu, as it was analyzed by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The surfaces released up to 8 mmol · L−1 of Cu within 24 h, measured with atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS). Hence, the surfaces possessed an antimicrobial potential against typical infect‐associated bacteria (Staphylococcus aureus). Surfaces with a higher Cu release prepared by HiPIMS technique revealed a higher antimicrobial effect, while surfaces implanted by PIII were less cytotoxic to osteoblasts (MG‐63 cells). These results show that Cu doped and coated implants could be useful for prevention and therapy of implant‐associated infections.
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