Employment of ultrasonic assisted turning in the fabrication of microtextures to improve the surface adhesion of the titanium implant

Abstract

Since the presentation of the cell adhesion concept, properties of the contact surface between osteoblasts and titanium implant and possible methods to enhance related characteristics have attracted much attention in orthopedic investigations. The creation of microtextures on the titanium implant is an important method to improve cell adhesion. This research includes the employment of Ultrasonic Assisted Turning (UAT) to create special microtextures on the titanium implant. Also, the developed interfacial ratio (Sdr) are analyzed to understand the effect of main surface characteristics on the adhesion behavior and parameters. Moreover, the effects of ultrasonic vibrations on Sdr are presented by theoretical relation and graphical modeling. Results showed micro dimples (textures) depth and width were a function of ultrasonic characteristics (amplitude and direction) and cutting speed of turning. Developed interfacial ratio (Sdr) was another surface parameter that improved by UAT (about 20% in geometrical simulations) while surface roughness did not change significantly by the application of UAT. SEM images show larger integrin and extended fibronectin of osteoblast which adhered to the textured surfaces. This result demonstrated the abilities of UAT to fabricate titanium implants with enhanced adhesion properties for osteoblast cells.