Harrick Plasma → Applications → Biology & Biomedical →
Plasma treatment is used to tailor titanium and titanium alloy surface properties for improved osseointegration in dental and orthopedic implant research. Titanium is a well-known and frequently used implant biomaterial due to its biocompatibility, high corrosion resistance and mechanical properties. However, because untreated titanium is bio-inert, it cannot form chemical bonds with surrounding bone tissue, reducing its ability to integrate into the body. Cell adhesion and proliferation is strongly influenced by material surface properties, including surface topography, free energy and wettability. Plasma treatment removes organic contamination from surfaces and introduces polar functional groups with increased surface free energy and wettability. As a result, implanted plasma treated titanium rods were shown to have a higher biochemical pull-out force and complete osseointegration in histological examinations.
Alternatively, titanium implant biofunctionalization can be performed through the introduction of surface coatings that further enhance bone integration. For example, poly(acrylic acid) (PAA) brushes have been grafted to titanium implants to improve cell adhesion. First, a PGMA layer is covalently bonded to plasma treated titanium when PGMA epoxy groups react to form ether bonds with the functionalized surface. PAA is subsequently grafted to the PGMA layer, creating a brush like surface with optimal cellular and tissue responses.
Note that Harrick Plasma equipment is to be used for research purposes only.
Relevant Articles from Harrick Plasma Users
- Miyajima H, Awadzi G, Ozer F, Mante F. Effect of surface physico-chemico-biological modifications of titanium on critical and theoretical surface free energy. Applied Surface Science. 2019; 470:386-394.
- Tseng WY, Hsu SH, Huang CH, et al. Low pressure radio-frequency oxygen plasma induced oxidation of titanium–surface characteristics and biological effects. PLoS ONE. 2013;8(12):e84898.
- Rosenthal A, Mantz A, Nguyen A, et al. Biofunctionalization of Titanium Substrates Using Nanoscale Polymer Brushes with Cell Adhesion Peptides. J Phys Chem B. 2018;122(25):6543-6550.
- Hotchkiss KM, Reddy GB, Hyzy SL, Schwartz Z, Boyan BD, Olivares-navarrete R. Titanium surface characteristics, including topography and wettability, alter macrophage activation. Acta Biomater. 2016;31:425-434.