Montanuniversität Leoben
Ni-free Ti-based bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) are prospective biomaterials for biomedical applications. Compared with conventional Ti alloy, Ni-free Ti-based BMGs have shown exciting properties such as high corrosion resistance, good biocompatibility, high strength, and low Young’s modulus, making them suitable for hard-tissue implants, thanks to their amorphous nature and lack of grain boundaries [1,2]. Furthermore, BMGs can be shaped and patterned by viscous flow deformation using thermoplastic net-shaping (TPN) when heated up to the supercooled liquid region (SCLR) [2,3]. In clinical practices, bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation on implant surfaces are considered the main risks for implant-associated infections, leading to medical treatment failure [4]. Several bio-inspired nanostructured surfaces have been proven mechano-bactericidal effects [5]. Likewise, nanopatterned BMGs with different feature sizes have shown influences on cellular responses of various cell types and can be utilized to improve cell-implant interactions [6]. Hence, to help host cells win the surface against bacteria, this work aims to create nano-patterns and hierarchical structures on the Ti40Zr10Cu34Pd14Sn2 BMG to enhance osseointegration and antibiofilm properties for hard-tissue implant applications. The biocompatibility and antibacterial performance of the patterned BMGs are examined with various in-vitro studies. The biocompatibility with human osteosarcoma Saos-2 cells is investigated via cell viabilities on 1, 3, and 7 days, cell morphology by SEM, and cell adhesion by immunofluorescence detection of tubulin and vinculin. The antibacterial properties are examined to test for effects on the viability of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria with crystal violet assay.
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