Engineering under protective atmospheres or in vacuum allows the production of materials and components, where the absence of oxygen is an essential requirement for a successful processing. Ideally, joining or coating of (and with) metallic materials needs oxide free material surfaces, in order to achieve durable joints or coatings. Using the established technology of brazing in controlled atmosphere, fundamental physical mechanisms for deoxidation of metal surfaces are presented and the role of oxygen and water residue in the process atmosphere is analyzed. Furthermore, the doping of gases with monosilane for generating virtually oxygen-free process atmospheres is introduced and its advantages for an oxygen-free production are discussed.

In this in vitro study, magnesium plates of ZEK100 and MgCa0.8 alloy similar to common titanium alloy osteosynthesis plates were investigated as degradable biomedical materials with a focus on primary stability. Immersion tests were performed in Hank's Balanced Salt Solution at 37 C. The bending strength of the samples was determined using the fourpoint bending test according to ISO 9585:1990. The initial strength of the noncorroded ZEK100 plate was 11% greater than that of the MgCa0.8 plate; both were approximately 65% weaker than a titanium plate. The bending strength was determined after 48 and 96 h of immersion in Hank's Balanced Salt Solution; both magnesium alloys decreased by approximately 7% after immersion for 96 h. The degradation rate and the Mg 2þ release of ZEK100 were lower than those of MgCa0.8. Strong pitting and filiform corrosion were observed in the MgCa0.8 samples after 96 h of immersion. The surface of the ZEK100 plates exhibited only small areas of filiform corrosion. The results of this in vitro study indicate that the ZEK100 alloy may be more suitable for biomedical applications.

As a result of global economic and environmental change, the demand for innovative, environmentally-friendly technologies is increasing. Employing solid lubricants in rolling contacts can reduce the use of environmentally harmful greases and oils. The aim of the current research was the development of a solid lubricant system with regenerative properties. The layer system consisted of a molybdenum (Mo) reservoir and a top layer of molybdenum trioxide (MoO3). After surface wear, Mo is supposed to react with atmospheric oxygen and form a new oxide. The determination of the wear volume of thin layers cannot be measured microscopically, which is why the wear behavior is initially determined on the nano level. In this work, single Mo and MoO3 coatings prepared by physical vapor deposition (PVD) are characterized by nano testing. The main objective was to determine the wear volume of the single coatings using a newly developed method considering the initial topology. For this purpose, nano-wear tests with different wear paths and normal forces were carried out and measured by in situ scanning probe microscopy (SPM). Based on the characteristic values determined, the coefficient of wear was determined for wear modeling according to Sarkar. The validation of the wear model developed was carried out by further wear tests on the respective mono layers.

No abstract

A fast and simple approach for immobilization using copolymers as interlayers is reported. The synthesized copolymers form stable self-assembled layers on implant materials like, e.g., titanium in a simple coating/drying/washing sequence and have functional groups which can bind proteins from an aqueous solution. The copolymer films have been characterized via ellipsometry and contact angle measurements and were tested for biocompatibility. An immunoassay was used to determine the amount of BMP2 and demonstrated an approximately 10-fold increase as compared to previously used self-assembled monolayers. A BMP2-responsive cell line with luciferase detection was used to determine the biological activity of the bound signaling protein.