Coat arms alloy

Now, Maria Advincula, Don Petersen, Firoz Rahemtulla, Rigoberto Advincula, and Jack Lemons of the Department of Biomedical Engineering, in the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the Department of Chemistry, University of Houston, have used inductively coupled plasma (ICP) and scanning electron microscope- energy-dispersive spectrometry (SEM-EDS) to analyse how calcium and phosphate concentrations change in a SSP produced layer on a modified Ti6Al4V alloy. Their results suggest that the sol-gel coatings greatly enhanced the nucleation and deposition of calcium and phosphates with low release rates of alloying elements. The ICP and SEM-EDS studies were accompanied by surface topography and composition analysis using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray electron spectroscopy (XPS). The team also correlated these properties with the corrosion of the material, its adhesive strength, and its bioreactivity in simulated physiological fluids. Additionally, electroimpedance spectroscopy (EIS) and polarization studies were used to compare how the coated and non-coated Ti6Al4V behaved in terms of corrosion. The team point out that the adhesive strength of the sol-gel coating together with titania composition and topography improve the corrosion properties of the alloy. "The equivalent corrosion behaviour and the definite increase in nucleation of calcium apatite indicate the potential of the sol-gel coating for enhanced bioimplant applications," say the researchers. The fact that this simple coating process was done at room temperature using solution dipping methods and without the use of vacuum or high temperature methods could potentially make this a widely acceptable ?prep? method for modifying bioimplants with improved performance for ooseointegration. The researchers conclude that "thin film coating may be clinically useful in enhancing the bioactivity of implants." They add that by incorporating drugs, growth factors, and enzymes in the layer-by-layer production process, it may also be possible to find applications in drug delivery and tissue engineering. The team is currently investigating other nanostructured composites of this sol-gel derived films in combination with new functional polymers synthesized at the University of Houston. "Source":[ http://www.spectroscopynow.com/coi/cda/detail.cda?id=13504&type=Feature&chId=1&page=1]

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