Texturing the optimal wear-resistance micro/nano hierarchical structure for drug loading on titanium implants

Abstract

Abstract This paper aimed to texture a drug-loaded structure on the surface of the titanium implant. Firstly, ABAQUS software was used to construct the implant placement model and to calculate the imposed forces on the implant during placement. Then the femtosecond laser-machined microstructures were subjected to friction testing to select the most wear-resistant shape, and the structural parameters of the shape were optimized. A micro/nano hierarchical structure was developed on the surface of the titanium disc and commercial implant through anodization. The morphology and tribological properties were studied precisely. The results show that laser-textured dimple shapes reduced the contact area and stored wear debris, improving the wear resistance of the surface. The shape with a diameter of 150 μm, depth of 80 μm, and texture density of 5% exhibited high resistance against wear during implant insertion. In-vitro study using fresh porcine mandibles showed that TiO2 nanotubes inside the dimples remain intact after implant placement. In addition, the micro/nano hierarchical structure exhibited excellent wettability, promising for drug loading. The designed drug-loaded structure protects the original surface of the implant, which can safeguard the surface modifications of all commercial implants used clinically currently. The presented approach can improve the implant success rate in patients with bone metabolic clinical conditions.