Tribological behavior of bioactive multi-material structures targeting orthopedic applications

Acknowledgments This work was supported by Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia (FCT), Portugal through the grants SFRH/BD/140191/2018, SFRH/BD/ 128657/2017 and SFRH/BPD/112111/2015, the project PTDC/EMSTEC/ 5422/2014 and also by project NORTE 01-0145_FEDER-000018. Additionally, this work is supported by FCT with the reference project UID/EEA/04436/2019.The following study proposes a multi-material solution in which Ti6Al4V cellular structures produced by Selective Laser Melting are impregnated with bioactive materials (hydroxyapatite or β-tricalcium phosphate) using press and sintering technique. To assess the tribological response of these structures, an alumina plate was used as a counterpart in a flat-on-flat reciprocating sliding test. Ti6Al4V cellular structures impregnated with bioactive materials displayed the highest wear resistance when compared with the unreinforced structures. Among the bioactive structures, Ti6Al4V cellular structures impregnated with βTCP were the ones with higher wear resistance, having the lowest weight loss. Hence, these structures are promising multifunctional solutions for load-bearing applications by gathering suitable mechanical properties (strength and stiffness); bioactive properties and in addition an improved wear performance.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

DNA vaccines against dengue virus based on the ns1 gene: The influence of different signal sequences on the protein expression and its correlation to the immune response elicited in mice

AbstractWe analyzed four DNA vaccines based on DENV-2 NS1: pcENS1, encoding the C-terminal from E protein plus the NS1 region; pcENS1ANC, similar to pcENS1 plus the N-terminal sequence from NS2a (ANC); pcTPANS1, coding the t-PA signal sequence fused to NS1; and pcTPANS1ANC, similar to pcTPANS1 plus the ANC sequence. The NS1 was detected in lysates and culture supernatants from pcTPANS1-, pcENS1- and pcENS1ANC-transfected cells and not in cells with pcTPANS1ANC. Only the pcENS1ANC leads the expression of NS1 in plasma membrane, confirming the importance of ANC sequence for targeting NS1 to cell surface. High levels of antibodies recognizing conformational epitopes of NS1 were induced in mice immunized with pcTPANS1 and pcENS1, while only few pcENS1ANC-inoculated animals presented detectable anti-NS1 IgG. Protection against DENV-2 was verified in pcTPANS1- and pcENS1-immunized mice, although the plasmid pcTPANS1 induced slight higher protective immunity. These plasmids seem to activate distinct patterns of the immune system

Predicting the output dimensions, porosity and elastic modulus of additive manufactured biomaterial structures targeting orthopedic implants

This work was supported by FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia) through the grant FRH/BD/128657/2017, the projects PTDC/EMS-TEC/5422/2014_ADAPTPROSTHESIS, POCI-01-0145-FEDER-030353 (SMARTCUT), NORTE 010145_FEDER-000018-HAMaBICo and UID/EEA/04436/2019.SLM accuracy for fabricating porous materials is a noteworthy hindrance when aiming to obtain biomaterial cellular structures owing precise geometry, porosity, open-cells dimension and mechanical properties as outcomes. This study provides a comprehensive characterization of seventeen biomaterial Ti6Al4V-based structures in which experimental and numerical investigations (compression stress-strain tests) were carried out. Monomaterial Ti6Al4V cellular structures and multi-material Ti6Al4V-PEEK cellular structures were designed, produced by SLM and characterized targeting orthopedic implants. In this work, the differences between the CAD design and the as-produced Ti6Al4V-based structures were obtained from image analysis and were used to develop predictive models. The results showed that dimensional deviations inherent to SLM fabrication are systematically found for different dimensional ranges. The present study proposes several mathematical models, having high coefficients of determination, that estimate the real dimensions, porosity and elastic modulus of Ti6Al4V-based cellular structures as function of the CAD model. Moreover, numerical analysis was performed to estimate the octahedral shear strain for correlating with bone mechanostat theory limits. The developed models can help engineers to design and obtain near-net shape SLM biomaterials matching the desired geometry, opencells dimensions, porosity and elastic modulus. The obtained results show that by using these AM structures design it is possible to fabricate components exhibiting a strain and elastic modulus that complies with that of bone, thus being suitable for orthopedic implants.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Multi-material Ti6Al4V & PEEK cellular structures produced by Selective Laser Melting and Hot Pressing: A tribocorrosion study targeting orthopedic applications

This work was supported by FCT through the grants SFRH/BD/128657/2017 and SFRH/BPD/112111/2015, the project PTDC/EMSTEC/5422/2014 and also by project NORTE 01–0145_FEDER-000018. Additionally, this work was supported by FCT with the reference project UID/EEA/04436/2013, by FEDER funds through the COMPETE 2020 – Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) with the reference project POCI-01–0145-FEDER-006941.Ti6Al4V-alloy is commonly used in dental and orthopedic applications where tribochemical reactions occur at material/bone interface. These reactions are one of the main concerns regarding Ti6Al4V implants due to the generation of wear particles, linked to the release of metallic ions in toxic concentration which occurs when TiO2 passive film is destroyed by means of wear and corrosion simultaneously. In the present study, a multi-material Ti6Al4V-PEEK cellular structure is proposed. Selective Laser Melting technique was used to produce Ti6Al4V dense and cellular structured specimens, whilst Hot-Pressing technique was employed to obtain multi-material Ti6Al4V-PEEK structures. This study investigates the tribocorrosion behavior of these materials under reciprocating sliding, comparing them with commercial forged Ti6Al4V. Open-circuit-potential was measured before, during and after sliding while dynamic coefficient of friction was assessed during sliding. The results showed an improved wear resistance and a lower tendency to corrosion for the multi-material Ti6Al4V-PEEK specimens when compared to dense and cellular structures mono-material specimens. This multi-material solution gathering Ti6Al4V and PEEK, besides being able to withstand the loads occurring after implantation on dental and orthopedic applications, is a promising alternative to fully dense metals once it enhances the tribocorrosion performance.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Ti6Al4V-PEEK multi-material structures – design, fabrication and tribological characterization focused on orthopedic implants

Acknowledgements: This work was supported by FCT through the grants SFRH/BD/128657/2017 and SFRH/BPD/112111/2015, the project PTDC/EMSTEC/5422/2014 and also by project NORTE 01-0145_FEDER-000018. Additionally, this work was supported by FCT with the reference project UID/EEA/04436/2013, by FEDER funds through the COMPETE 2020 – Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) with the reference project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006941.A multi-material concept that gathers Ti6Al4V and PEEK properties in a cellular structured component was designed, fabricated and investigated targeting hip implants. SLM and pressure assisted injection techniques were used to obtain Ti6Al4V-PEEK multi-material structures. Aiming to reproduce to some extension the tribological phenomena occurring during and after hip implant insertion, five tribological tests were outlined and performed. The obtained results showed that the presence of PEEK on the Ti6Al4V-PEEK cellular structures led to a substantial improvement on the wear resistance (62% reduction in the mass loss) when compared to the material currently available on market for hip implants. The multi-material solution here investigated shows a good compromise between the primary stability after implant insertion and the wear performance.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Corrosion behaviour of PEEK or β-TCP-impregnated Ti6Al4V SLM structures targeting biomedical applications

This work was supported by FCT through the grants PD/BD/140202/2018, SFRH/BD/140191/2018 and SFRH/BD/128657/2017, and the projects PTDC/EMSTEC/ 5422/2014 and NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000018-HAMaBICo. Additionally, this work was supported by FCT with the reference project UID/EEA/04436/2019. F. TOPTAN is grateful for the financial support through the M-ERA-NET/0001/2015 project (FCT).Ti6Al4V cellular structures were produced by selective laser melting (SLM) and then filled either with beta-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP) or PEEK (poly-ether-ether-ketone) through powder metallurgy techniques, to improve osteoconductivity and wear resistance. The corrosion behavior of these structures was explored considering its importance for the long-term performance of implants. Results revealed that the incorporation of open cellular pores induced higher electrochemical kinetics when being compared with dense structures. The impregnation of β-TCP and PEEK led to the creation of voids or gaps between the metallic matrix and the impregnated material which also influenced the corrosion behavior of the cellular structures.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A study on the production of thin-walled Ti6Al4V parts by selective laser melting

Acknowledgements: This work is supported by FCT - Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia through the grant FRH/BPD/112111/2015 and the projects PTDC/EMS-TEC/5422/2014 and NORTE-01-0145-FEDER- 000018-HAMaBICo. Additionally, this work is supported by FCT with the reference project UID/EEA/04436/2013, by FEDER funds through the COMPETE 2020 – Programa Operacional Competitividade e Internacionalização (POCI) with the reference project POCI-01-0145-FEDER-006941.Selective Laser Melting (SLM) is an extremely versatile technology especially suited for the manufacturing of thin-walled parts. Micro-sized parts are highly influenced and dependent on the SLM processing parameters; thus being indispensable to assess the influence of processing parameters on SLM fabrication, as isolated parameters but also their interactions. In this study, the influence of SLM laser power and scanning speed on Ti6Al4V micropillars and micro-plates thickness was assessed by applying response surface methodology (RSM). These analyses resulted in four models that exhibit complex correlations of SLM process parameters, with non-linear equations, having coefficients of determination that assess the quality of the models. These developed models are accurate tools that can be used to optimize the micro manufacture of Ti6Al4V thin-walled parts by SLM.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Incorporating oldman saltbush hay and prickly pear in diets for red Sindhi calves

This study was designed to evaluate the nutrient intake, digestibility, degradability, and ruminal characteristics of Sindhi heifers fed diets that contained a combined total of 75% oldman saltbush hay (hereafter saltbush hay) and prickly pear cactus. Eight 12-month old intact male red Sindhi calves (four fistulated and four non-fistulated) with an initial mean weight of 170 ± 5 kg were assigned to 4 × 4 Latin squares, where factors consisted of four diets, namely 15% hay and 60% cactus; 30% hay and 45% cactus; 45% hay and 30% cactus; and 60% hay and 15% cactus, and four times at which rumen fluid was collected. Neutral detergent fibre (NDF) and acid detergent fibre (ADF) intakes in kg/day and NDF in percentage live weight (LW), water intake, salinity, and conductivity increased with hay level. Intake and digestibility of non-fibrous carbohydrates were curvilinear with higher values in diets containing 30% saltbush hay. The apparent digestibility of dry matter (DM) and organic matter decreased linearly as the concentration of saltbush hay increased in the diet. The pH of the rumen fluid was within the acceptable range for favourable microbial growth. The low temperature and high salinity and conductivity indices in the diets should be viewed with caution at higher concentrations of saltbush hay, because of a possible decrease in nutrient absorption and the development of health problems in the animals. Apparent degradability coefficients of DM and NDF were affected significantly by inclusion of prickly pear and saltbush hay in the diets.Keywords: animal nutrition, apparent digestibility, Atriplex nummularia Lindl, Opuntia ficus, ruminal degradation, semi-arid environmen