Enhanced Embedding of Cations into Titanium Surfaces by AC Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation for Osteointegrated Implants

Titanium and its alloys represent the gold standard for osteointegrated implants, but their characteristic bioinertness still hinders optimal integration within host tissues. This limitation can be overcome by introducing osteoinductive functionalities on surface. Plasma Electrolytic Oxidation (PEO) has emerged as a cost-effective rapid electrochemical method generating bioactive titanium dioxide (TiO2) coatings, incorporation of pro-osteogenic cations with this technique is typically passive and, in turn, low efficient. Here, alternate current (AC) PEO investigated tunable solution to incorporate zinc into TiO2 coatings exploiting active transport during cathodic phase process. The resulting microporous surfaces show greater an increased presence rutile domains compared conventional direct (DC) without, however, yielding significant morphological differences. In vitro assays human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) reveal metabolic activity adhering onto AC surfaces. addition, expression osteogenic differentiation markers (RUNX2 osteocalcin) indicates surface-driven effects, particularly grown applying short spike. Taken together, these aspects make Zn-doped promising orthopaedic dental applications. article protected copyright. All rights reserved.