DEVELOPMENT OF TITANIA NANOSTRUCTURES ON POROUS TITANIUM FOR IMPROVED OSSEOINTEGRATION

Abstract

Pure Titanium (Ti) has gained recognition as an excellent implant material in orthopedics due to its exceptional corrosion resistance and biocompatibility. However, its modulus of elasticity is higher as compared to that of the bone. The difference arises stress shielding effects which with time are harmful for the body and implant needs to be replaced by surgery. This problem is taken care of by making porous titanium (reducing young’s modulus of Titanium). Another problem with Titanium as an implant is that it’s bonding with the host tissue is not very good. This is because the surface activity of Titanium is not very high. Thermal oxidation (under a very controlled supply of oxygen) was used to grow titania (TiO2) nanostructures on the surface of Porous Titanium. The experimental process involved meticulous optimization of parameters to ensure the successful growth of desired nanostructures. Through systematic experimentation and parameter optimization, we were able to achieve the desired growth of titania nanostructures on the surface of Titanium. The optimized parameters included temperature, argon flow rate and duration of thermal oxidation. The resulting nanostructured surface which is reported to have enhanced surface activity and is expected to facilitate improved cell adhesion, spreading, and subsequent bone cell growth. We characterized the nanostructured Titanium using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to analyze surface morphology and the growth of titania nanostructures. Energy Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS) confirmed the presence of titanium and oxygen, confirming oxidation. X-ray Diffraction (XRD) determined the crystalline structure and phase composition. The findings from this study contribute to advancing the understanding of surface modifications for Titanium implants and hold promise for the development of improved Titanium implant materials with enhanced osseointegration capabilities.