Friction stability and cellular behaviors on laser textured Ti-6Al-4V alloy implants with bioinspired micro-overlapping structures

Yong Xu; Wei Liu; Gangqiang Zhang; Zhipeng Li; Hongxing Hu; Chenchen Wang; Xiangqiong Zeng; Shichang Zhao; Yadong Zhang; Tianhui Ren

doi:10.1016/j.jmbbm.2020.103823

Friction stability and cellular behaviors on laser textured Ti-6Al-4V alloy implants with bioinspired micro-overlapping structures

J Mech Behav Biomed Mater. 2020 Sep:109:103823. doi: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2020.103823. Epub 2020 Apr 27.

Authors

Yong Xu¹, Wei Liu², Gangqiang Zhang³, Zhipeng Li¹, Hongxing Hu⁴, Chenchen Wang¹, Xiangqiong Zeng⁵, Shichang Zhao⁶, Yadong Zhang⁷, Tianhui Ren⁸

Affiliations

¹ School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China.
² Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200233, China.
³ College of Textile & Clothing, Institute of Functional Textiles and Advanced Materials, State Key Laboratory of Bio-Fibers and Eco-Textiles, Collaborative Innovation Center of Marine Biomass Fibers Materials and Textiles of Shandong Province, Qingdao University, Qingdao, 266071, China.
⁴ Department of Orthopedic Surgery, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325000, China.
⁵ Advanced Lubricating Materials Laboratory, Shanghai Advanced Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, 201404, China.
⁶ Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200233, China. Electronic address: zhaoshichang0404@163.com.
⁷ Department of Orthopedics, Shanghai Fengxian Central Hospital, South Campus of Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiaotong University, Shanghai 201400, China. Electronic address: yadd_zz@163.com.
⁸ School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Frontiers Science Center for Transformative Molecules, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, 200240, China. Electronic address: thren@sjtu.edu.cn.

PMID: 32543395
DOI: 10.1016/j.jmbbm.2020.103823

Abstract

The grain structure and surface morphology of bio-implants act as a pivotal part in altering cell behavior. Titanium alloy bone screws, as common implants, are prone to screws loosening and complications threat in the physiological environment due to their inferior anti-wear and surface inertia. Manufacturing bone screws with high wear resistance and ideal biocompatibility has always been a challenge. In this study, a series of overlapping morphologies inspired by the hierarchical structure of fish scales and micro bulges of shrimp were structured on Ti-6Al-4V implant by laser texturing. The results indicate that the textured patterns could improve cell attachment, proliferation, and osteogenic differentiation. The short-term response of human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hBMSCs) on the textured surface are more sensitive to the microstructure than the surface roughness, wettability, grain size and surface chemical elements of the textured surfaces. More importantly, the friction-increasing and friction-reducing type overlapping structures exhibit excellent friction stability at different stages of modified simulated body fluid (m-SBF) soaking. The overlapping structure (Micro-smooth stacked ring: MSSR) is more beneficial to promote the formation of apatite. Deposited spherical-like apatite particles can act as a "lubricant" on the MSSR surface during the friction process to alleviate the adhesion wear of the surface. Meanwhile, apatite particles participate in the formation of friction film, which plays an effective role in reducing friction and antiwear in corrosion solution (m-SBF) for a long time. These features show that the combination of soaking treatment in m-SBF solution with laser-textured MSSR structure is expected to be an efficient and environmentally friendly strategy to prolong the service life of bone screws and reducing the complications of mildly osteoporotic implants.

Keywords: Bio-inspiration; Cellular behaviors; Friction stability; Laser surface texture; Overlapping structure; Ti–6Al–4V alloy.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Alloys
Animals
Friction
Humans
Lasers
Osteogenesis*
Surface Properties
Titanium*

Substances

Alloys
titanium alloy (TiAl6V4)
Titanium