Objectif
The development or modification of man-made materials to interface with living host tissue i.e. implants made of biomaterials is of great interest in the realm of medical implants. Pure titanium or titanium alloys such as Ti-6Al-4V are bioinert, which mean s that, apart from being non-toxic, once implanted in the host organism they become encapsulated by a fibrous tissue. One of the approaches to enhance the bioactivity of the surface of the titanium in order to improve the mechanical fixation and reduce the healing time is to coat the surface of the implant with a bioactive glass.
The central goal is the microstructural and mechanical characterization of an engineered bioactive glass coating onto titanium implant surfaces, which shows a graded structure in terms of titanium/ glass composition, in terms of glass properties (thermal expansion coefficient and bioactivity) and with respect to porosity at the external surface of the implant. This bioactive glass coating will be produced by novel techniques of elect rophoretic deposition. The project will contribute to a better integration of the metal substrate and bioactive ceramic coating for implant applications.
At present, the interface is the weakest link in the implant, especially because of the difference in chemical bonding and thermal expansion mismatch between metals and ceramics. The concept of a functionally graded interface opens up the possibility to gradually tailor the microstructure of the interface.
Champ scientifique
- natural scienceschemical sciencesinorganic chemistrytransition metals
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringcoating and films
- engineering and technologyindustrial biotechnologybiomaterials
- medical and health sciencesmedical biotechnologyimplants
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringceramics
Appel à propositions
FP6-2002-MOBILITY-11
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