Magnesium-based composites with improved in vitro surface biocompatibility

In this study, bioactive glass (BG, 45S5) particles were added to a biodegradable magnesium alloy(ZK30) through a semi-solid high-pressure casting process in order to improve the surface biocompatibility of the biomaterial and potentially its bioactivity. The observation of the as-cast microstructures of ZK30-BG composites indicated homogeneous dispersion of BG particles in the matrix. SEM, EDX and EPMA showed the retention of the morphological characteristics and composition of BG particles in the as-cast composite materials. In vitro tests in a cell culture medium confirmed that the composites indeed possessed an enhanced ability to induce the deposition of a bone-like apatite layer on the surface, indicating an improved surface biocompatibility as compared with the matrix alloy.Materials Science and EngineeringMechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineerin

Method of manufacturing molded articles from metallic or ceramic powdered particles and binder system suitable for use therein

The invention relates to a method of manufacturing molded articles by mixing metallic or ceramic powder particles homogeneously with a binder system, whereafter the mixture is shaped in fluid condition by injection molding, the molding obtained is treated with an aqueous liquid in order to wash out a part of the binder system, and the molding thus treated is subjected to a thermal treatment at high temperature in order to remove the remainder of the binder system and to sinter the powder particles to a coalescent structure, wherein a binder sytem is used which contains the following three essential components in the specified amountsMechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineerin

Method for reactively joining materials

Method for reactively joining materials in solid form, such as intermetallic compounds and technical ceramics, wherein: a) a mixed powder is provided in solid form between the materials to be joined; b) at least the powder mixture is locally heated, causing exothermic reactions to take place, whereby the heat is released at the contact surfaces of the materials to be joined, where it causes a local melting; and c) subsequently cools down. At least one of the materials to be joined has a melting point coinciding with the melting point of the lowest-melting component in the powder mixture; and the exothermic process is initiated at a temperature before the melting point of one of the materials to be joined is reachedMechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineerin

Method of preparing an Al-Ti-B grain refiner for aluminium-comprising products, and a method of casting aluminium products

The invention relates to a method of preparing an Al-Ti-B grain refiner for cast aluminium-comprising products. According to the invention the preparation is realized by mixing powders selected from the group comprising aluminium, titanium, boron, and alloys and intermetallic compounds thereof, compressing, heating in an inert environment until an exothermic reaction is initiated and cooling. It has been shown that when the grain refiner thus prepared is applied, the quality of cast products remains substantially constant even during lengthy casting processes. The invention also relates to a method of casting aluminium products.Materials Science and EngineeringMechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineerin

Characteristics of the Friction Between Aluminium and Steel at Elevated Temperatures During Ball-on-Disc Tests

Appropriate specification of the frictional boundary condition for the finite-element (FE) simulation of metal-forming processes is of great importance to the trustworthiness of the results. The research reported in this communication aimed at understanding the interfacial contact between aluminium and steel at elevated temperatures and determining friction coefficients at this material mating. A series of high-temperature ball-on-disc tests were carried out with the AA7475 aluminium alloy as the material of disc and the hardened H11 steel as the material of ball. A mathematical model developed in the preceding research was employed to account for the evolution of the contact interface during ball-on-disc tests. Friction coefficients at different temperatures and over a number of laps were determined. The shear friction stresses and mean contact pressures along with the progress of the tests at 350–500 °C were calculated. It was found that the friction coefficients obtained from ball-on-disc tests alone were insufficient to represent the frictional interaction between deforming aluminium and steel at elevated temperatures. The evolution of the contact interface with increasing sliding distance must be taken into consideration and the friction behaviour can be reasonably characterized by using friction stress.Materials Science and EngineeringMechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineerin

Strain-dependent constitutive analysis of three wrought Mg–Al–Zn alloys

The commonly used hyperbolic sine constitutive equation for metal forming at elevated temperatures, with no strain incorporated, is in principle applicable only to deformation in the steady state. However, the actual deformation processes applied to magnesium alloys are mostly in the non-steady state. In the present research, the results of hot uniaxial compression tests of three wrought magnesium alloys covering wide ranges of temperatures and strain rates were used for a strain-dependent constitutive analysis. A strain-dependent constitutive relationship for these alloys was established. It appeared that the apparent activation energy for deformation decreased with increasing the alloying content in these alloys. The constitutive parameters obtained were used to predict flow stresses at given strains and the results were in good agreement with experimental measurements.Materials Science and EngineeringMechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineerin

Self-healing layer on non-ferrous metals using polyoxometalates

The invention relates to a method for applying a multifunctional layer on a substrate. Accordingly said layer is applied by means of a process by using an aqueous solution that comprises a POM and/or a crack-healing agent, which POM and/or a crack healing agent is/are incorporated in said layer during said process to obtain a self-healing layer.Mechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineerin

Enrichment of anodic MgO layers with Ag nanoparticles for biomedical applications

The growing fight against infections caused by bacteria poses new challenges for development of materials and medical devices with antimicrobial properties. Silver is a well known antimicrobial agent and has recently started to be used in nanoparticulate form, with the advantage of a high specific surface area and a continuous release of enough concentration of silver ions/radicals. The synthesis of MgO–Ag nanocomposite coatings by in situ deposition of silver nanoparticles during plasma electrolytic oxidation of a magnesium substrate is presented in this study. The process was performed in an electrolyte containing Ag nanoparticles under different oxidation conditions (i.e., current density, oxidizing time, silver nanoparticles concentration in the electrolyte). Surface morphology, phase composition and elemental composition (on the surface and across the thickness of MgO–Ag nanocomposite coatings) were assessed by scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, energy X-ray dispersive spectrometry and radio frequency glow discharge optical emission spectroscopy, respectively. The coatings were found to be porous, around 7 µm thick, consisting of a crystalline oxide matrix embedded with silver nanoparticles. The findings suggest that plasma electrolytic oxidation process has potential for the synthesis of MgO–Ag nanocomposite coatings.Materials Science and EngineeringMechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineerin

Forming of magnesium alloy microtubes in the fabrication of biodegradable stents

Magnesium alloys have, in recent years, been recognized as highly promising biodegradable materials, especially for vascular stent applications. Forming of magnesium alloys into high-precision thin-wall tubes has however presented a technological barrier in the fabrication of vascular stents, because of the poor workability of magnesium at room temperature. In the present study, the forming processes, i.e., hot indirect extrusion and multi-pass cold drawing were used to fabricate seamless microtubes of a magnesium alloy. The magnesium alloy ZM21 was selected as a representative biomaterial for biodegradable stent applications. Microtubes with an outside diameter of 2.9 mm and a wall thickness of 0.2 mm were successfully produced at the fourth pass of cold drawing without inter-pass annealing. Dimensional evaluation showed that multi-pass cold drawing was effective in correcting dimensional non-uniformity arising from hot indirect extrusion. Examinations of the microstructures of microtubes revealed the generation of a large number of twins as a result of accumulated work hardening at the third and fourth passes of cold drawing, corresponding to the significantly raised forming forces. The work demonstrated the viability of the forming process route selected for the fabrication of biodegradable magnesium alloy microtubes.Biomechanical EngineeringMechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineerin

Size effect of PLGA spheres on drug loading efficiency and release profiles

Drug delivery systems (DDS) based on poly (lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) microspheres and nanospheres have been separately studied in previous works as a means of delivering bioactive compounds over an extended period of time. In the present study, two DDS having different sizes of the PLGA spheres were compared in morphology, drug (dexamethasone) loading efficiency and drug release kinetics in order to investigate their feasibility with regard to production of medical combination devices for orthopedic applications. The loaded PLGA spheres have been produced by the oil-in-water emulsion/solvent evaporation method following two different schemes. Their morphology was assessed by scanning electron microscopy and the drug release was monitored in phosphate buffer saline solution at 37°C for 550 h using high performance liquid chromatography. The synthesis schemes used produced spheres with two different and reproducible size ranges (20 ± 10 and 1.0 ± 0.4 ?m) having a smooth outer surface and regular shape. The drug loading efficiency of the 1.0 ?m spheres was found to be 11% as compared to just 1% for the 20 ?m spheres. Over the 550 h release period, the larger spheres (diameter 20 ± 10 ?m) released 90% of the encapsulated dexamethasone in an approximately linear fashion whilst the relatively small spheres (diameter 1.0 ± 0.4 ?m) released only 30% of the initially loaded dexamethasone, from which 20% within the first 25 h. The changes observed were mainly attributed to the difference in surface area between the two types of spheres as the surface texture of both systems was visibly similar. As the surface area per unit volume increases in the synthesis mixture, as is the case for the 1.0 ?m spheres formulation, the amount of polymer-water interfaces increases allowing more dexamethasone to be encapsulated by the emerging polymer spheres. Similarly, during the release phase, as the surface area per unit volume increases, the rate of inclusion of water into the polymer increases, permitting faster diffusion of dexamethasone.Materials Science and EngineeringMechanical, Maritime and Materials Engineerin