Electrochemical anodisation of Ti–15Zr implant: effect of different voltages and times

Abstract

In this study, substrates of titanium alloyed with 15% zirconium (Ti–15Zr) were anodised by an electrochemical process in order to investigate the changes in their surface morphology with changes in anodisation parameters. The effect of five different electrochemical voltages (10, 20, 30, 40, 50 V) and three different durations (30, 60, 120 min) were studied. The Ti–15Zr nanotubular substrates were then characterised using field emission scanning electron microscopy along with energy-dispersive spectroscopy. Specifically, wider ranges of diameters and lengths were produced with change in the applied potential and duration without losing the highly ordered nature of the nanotubular surface. Furthermore, Medical Research Council cell strain 5 cells were successfully cultured on nanotubular surfaces with different diameters. This study demonstrates that the anodisation parameters can control the nanotubular morphology of commercially available Ti–15Zr dental implants, which can be a promising solution for enhancing cell adhesion and osteogenesis behaviour.