A Multilayer Approach to Fabricate Bioactive Glass Coatings on Ti Alloys

Glasses in the system Si-Ca-Na-Mg-P-K-O with thermal expansion coefficients close to that of Ti6Al4V were used to coat the titanium alloy by a simple enameling technique. Firings were done in air at temperatures between 800 and 840 C and times up to 1 minute. Graded compositions were obtained by firing multilayered glass coatings. Hydroxyapatite (HA) particles were mixed with the glass powder and the mixture was placed on the outer surface of the coatings to render them more bioactive. Coatings with excellent adhesion to the substrate and able to form apatite when immersed in a simulated body fluid (SBF) can be fabricated by this methodology

Histological response of soda-lime glass-ceramic bactericidal rods implanted in the jaws of beagle dogs

Bacterial and fungal infections remain a major clinical challenge. Implant infections very often require complicated revision procedures that are troublesome to patients and costly to the healthcare system. Innovative approaches to tackle infections are urgently needed. We investigated the histological response of novel free P2O5 glass-ceramic rods implanted in the jaws of beagle dogs. Due to the particular percolated morphology of this glass-ceramic, the dissolution of the rods in the animal body environment and the immature bone formation during the fourth months of implantation maintained the integrity of the glass-ceramic rod. No clinical signs of inflammation took place in any of the beagle dogs during the four months of implantation. This new glass-ceramic biomaterial with inherent bactericidal and fungicidal properties can be considered as an appealing candidate for bone tissue engineeringThis work was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN) under the projects MAT2012-38645. A.P. Tomsia work was supported by the National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIH/NIDCR) Grant No. 1R01DE015633S

Nanoscale control of Ag nanostructures for plasmonic fluorescence enhancement of near-infrared dyes

Potential utilization of proteins for early detection and diagnosis of various diseases has drawn considerable interest in the development of protein-based detection techniques. Metal induced fluorescence enhancement offers the possibility of increasing the sensitivity of protein detection in clinical applications. We report the use of tunable plasmonic silver nanostructures for the fluorescence enhancement of a near-infrared (NIR) dye (Alexa Fluor 790). Extensive fluorescence enhancement of ∼2 orders of magnitude is obtained by the nanoscale control of the Ag nanostructure dimensions and interparticle distance. These Ag nanostructures also enhanced fluorescence from a dye with very high quantum yield (7.8 fold for Alexa Fluor 488, quantum efficiency (Qy) = 0.92). A combination of greatly enhanced excitation and an increased radiative decay rate, leading to an associated enhancement of the quantum efficiency leads to the large enhancement. These results show the potential of Ag nanostructures as metal induced fluorescence enhancement (MIFE) substrates for dyes in the NIR “biological window” as well as the visible region. Ag nanostructured arrays fabricated by colloidal lithography thus show great potential for NIR dye-based biosensing applications

Kinetics of Iron - Sodium Disilicate Reactions and Wetting

Thermogravimetric and sessile drop measurements were used to study kinetics of redox reactions between sodium disilicate glass and iron. Two redox reaction sequences were identified; both introduced ferrous oxide into the glass at the interface. One consists of formation of ferrous oxide at the interface by reduction of sodium ions in the glass; this is primarily dependent on the a(FeO) in the metal being less than one. The second consists of oxidation of ferrous ions in the glass by the reduction of sodium ions to form ferric ions which subsequently react with the iron to form ferrous oxide. The reaction rates were shown to be sensitive to temperature, time, total ambient pressure, partial pressure of sodium and oxygen in the atmosphere, and the a(FeO) in the iron. Decrease of contact angles and spreading occur with the redox reaction in which the metal plays an active role, i.e. whose a(FeO) is less than one and whose composition undergoes a change

Reactive Spreading in Ceramic/Metal Systems

Reactive spreading, in which a chemically active element is added to promote wetting of noble metals on nonmetallic materials, is evaluated mechanistically. Theories for the energetics and kinetics of the steps involved in spreading are outlined to permit comparison to the steps in the compound formation that typically accompanies reactive wetting. These include: fluid flow, active metal adsorption, including nonequilibrium effects, and triple line ridging. They can all be faster than compound nucleation under certain conditions. This analysis plus assessment of recently reported experiments in metal/ceramic systems lead to a focus on those conditions under which spreading proceeds ahead of the actual formation of a new phase. This scenario may be more typical than commonly believed, and perhaps is the most effective situation leading to enhanced spreading. A rationale for the slow spreading rates plus the pervasive variability and hysteresis observed during high-temperature wetting also emerges

MSEC2006-21048 FABRICATION OF POROUS HYDROXYAPATITE SCAFFOLDS

ABSTRACT This work describes two novel techniques for the fabrication of porous hydroxyapatite scaffolds for calcified tissue engineering: robocasting and freeze casting. These techniques allow the fabrication of materials with complex porosity. Both are based on the preparation of concentrated ceramic suspensions with suitable properties for the process. In robocasting, the computer-guided deposition of the suspensions is used to build porous materials with designed three dimensional (3-D) geometries and microstructures. Freeze casting uses ice crystals as a template to form porous lamellar ceramic materials. Preliminary results on the compressive strengths of the materials are also reported

Reactive Spreading in Ceramic/Metal Systems

International audienceReactive spreading, in which a chemically active element is added to promote wetting of noble metals on nonmetallic materials, is evaluated mechanistically. Theories for the energetics and kinetics of the steps involved in spreading are outlined to permit comparison to the steps in the compound formation that typically accompanies reactive wetting. These include: fluid flow, active metal adsorption, including nonequilibrium effects, and triple line ridging. They can all be faster than compound nucleation under certain conditions. This analysis plus assessment of recently reported experiments in metal/ceramic systems lead to a focus on those conditions under which spreading proceeds ahead of the actual formation of a new phase. This scenario may be more typical than commonly believed, and perhaps is the most effective situation leading to enhanced spreading. A rationale for the slow spreading rates plus the pervasive variability and hysteresis observed during high-temperature wetting also emerges

Enhanced atomic transport at liquid metal/Al{sub 2}O{sub 3} interfaces

In this work, atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been used to identify the controlling transport mechanisms at metal/oxide interfaces and measure the corresponding diffusivities. Interfacial transport rates in our experiments are two to four orders of magnitude faster than any previously reported rates for the oxide surface. The interfacial diffusivities and the degree of interfacial anisotropy depend on the oxygen activity of the system. Atomic transport at metal/oxide interfaces plays a defining role in many technological processes, and these experiments provide fundamental data for the formulation of the atomic theory needed to explain many of the observed phenomena

Reactive spreading: Adsorption, ridging and compound formation

Reactive spreading, in which a chemically active element is added to promote wetting of noble metals on nonmetallic materials, is evaluated. Theories for the energetics and kinetics of the necessary steps involved in spreading are outlined and compared to the steps in compound formation that typically accompany reactive wetting. These include: fluid flow, active metal adsorption, including nonequilibrium effects, and triple line ridging. All of these can be faster than compound nucleation under certain conditions. Analysis and assessment of recently reported experiments on metal/ceramic systems lead to a focus on those conditions under which spreading proceeds ahead of the actual formation of a new phase at the interface. This scenario may be more typical than believed, and perhaps the most effective situation leading to enhanced spreading. A rationale for the pervasive variability and hysteresis observed during high temperature wetting also emerges