Ti-based biomaterials have been widely used for decades in the medical industry for hard-tissue implant applications. This is possible due to their superior properties like high load-bearing capacity, corrosion resistance, and relatively low young’s modulus [1]. However, due to both the high stress-shielding effect and biofilm formation, there are several cases of implant rejection in the patient’s body [2]. To overcome this problem, bulk metallic glass with a novel composition of Ti40Cu40Zr11Fe3Sn3Ag3 at% was developed containing good glass formers and biocompatible elements. Metallic glass ribbon of 50 µm thickness and 5 mm width was developed using melt spinning technique. In order to produce antimicrobial implant materials for inhibition of biofilm formation,the surface of the ribbon sample was chemically modified using chemical dealloying technique in an alkaline media. This technique is useful to selectively remove less noble elements from the surface of the ribbon samples [3]. In this study, we investigated the effect of alkanie solution for producing nanostructured topography on ribbon samples. The effect of dealloying in different electrolyte concentrations, time of treatment, static and dynamic conditions were investigated. The surface morphology and composition of dealloyed samples were characterized using Gi-XRD, FE-SEM, AES/XPS, TEM and AFM techniques. Further, the wettability and hemocompatibility of the dealloyed samples were investigated to understand the surface chemistry and antimicrobial property for potential biomaterial application.                                                                                                                  

References

[1] M. Geetha, et al; Progress in Materials Science, 2009, 54, 397-425.

[2] Y. Kirmanidou, et al; Biomed Res Int., 2016, 2908570.

[3] EMPaschalidou, et al; Acta Materialia, Volume 119, 2016, 177-183

Acknowledgement

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 861046. Project duration: 01.01.2020 - 31.12.2023.

Funding from the German Research Foundation (DFG) grant number 458057521 is acknowledged.