a‐SiO_x Coatings Grown on Dental Materials by PECVD: Compositional Analysis and Preliminary Investigation of Biocompatibility Improvements

Abstract

Silicon-oxygen amorphous thin film alloys (a-SiO x ) are grown at room temperature by plasma-enhanced (PE)CVD on two dental materials; a ceramic and a microcomposite resin. A compositional analysis of substrates and films is performed by energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), while the sample morphologies are investigated by optical microscopy. Some preliminary investigations on the interaction of substrates and coatings with cells give indications in favor of a-SiO x biocompatibility, and show that the application of coatings based on this material may have a good potential for the reduction of cytotoxicity in dental materials.

Surface Treatments and Functional Coatings for Biocompatibility Improvement and Bacterial Adhesion Reduction in Dental Implantology

“…Several techniques, including magnetron sputtering [41,45], low pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) [42], metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) [43] and plasma spray [44] were used to achieve the deposition of the titanium oxide for improving osseointegration [42,44] or prevent bacterial adhesion [41,45]. Other oxides, such as ZrO 2 [41], SiO x [46][47][48][49] and ZnO [50], have also been tested as alternatives to TiO 2 to improve the properties of dental implants, reduce the bacterial adhesion [41,46,49,50], improve the biocompatibility [47] or protect from the corrosion exerted by the body fluids [48]. In addition, Zn-doped TiO 2 has been tested as a possible candidate for bacterial adhesion reduction [50].…”

“…In addition, Zn-doped TiO 2 has been tested as a possible candidate for bacterial adhesion reduction [50]. This oxides are usually grown by sputtering [41,48], plasma enhanced chemical vapor deposition (PECVD) [46,47,49] or cathodic arc deposition [50], since these techniques allow the deposition of compact layers and allow a good coating adhesion even at low temperature.…”

Exploration of Plasma-Enhanced Chemical Vapor Deposition as a Method for Thin-Film Fabrication with Biological Applications

“…The use of PECVD films helps to improve the biocompatibility of the dental prosthetics as well as the aesthetic value due to the optical properties. 21 PECVD has been established as a good process for deposition of SiO x films because the silicon and oxygen content can be tuned easily and the contamination level in the material can be controlled.…”

Nano-Pore Size of Alumina Affects Osteoblastic Response

“…To date, and only in pre-clinical studies, bioactivity has mainly been achieved through the grafting/functionalization of organic bioactive molecules [ 13 , 14 ], which, however, limits greatly their clinical usage. On the other hand, surface modification that does not imply the release of growth factors or signaling molecules may sensibly ameliorate the performance of a given material [ 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 ].…”