Microstructure and biological properties of micro-arc oxidation coatings on ZK60 magnesium alloy

MgCa-Based Alloys Modified with Zn- and Ga-Doped CaP Coatings Lead to Controlled Degradation and Enhanced Bone Formation in a Sheep Cranium Defect Model

Mg-based biodegradable metallic implants are gaining increased attraction for applications in orthopedics and dentistry. However, their current applications are hampered by their high rate of corrosion, degradation, and rapid release of ions and gas bubbles into the physiological medium. The aim of the present study is to investigate the osteogenic and angiogenic potential of coated Mg-based implants in a sheep cranial defect model. Although their osteogenic potential was studied to some extent, their potential to regenerate vascularized bone formation was not studied in detail. We have studied the potential of magnesium-calcium (MgCa)-based alloys modified with zinc (Zn)- or gallium (Ga)-doped calcium phosphate (CaP) coatings as a strategy to control their degradation rate while enhancing bone regeneration capacity. MgCa and its implants with CaP coatings (MgCa/CaP) as undoped or as doped with Zn or Ga (MgCa/CaP + Zn and MgCa/CaP + Ga, respectively) were implanted in bone defects created in the sheep cranium. MgCa implants degraded faster than the others at 4 weeks postop and the weight loss was ca. 50%, while it was ca. 15% for MgCa/CaP and <10% in the presence of Zn and Ga with CaP coating. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analysis of the implant surfaces also revealed that the MgCa implants had the largest degree of structural breakdown of all the groups. Radiological evaluation revealed that surface modification with CaP to the MgCa implants induced better bone regeneration within the defects as well as the enhancement of bone-implant surface integration. Bone volume (%) within the defect was ca. 25% in the case of MgCa/CaP + Ga, while it was around 15% for undoped MgCa group upon micro-CT evaluation. This >1.5-fold increase in bone regeneration for MgCa/CaP + Ga implant was also observed in the histopathological examination of the H&E- and Masson's trichrome-stained sections. Immunohistochemical analysis of the bone regeneration (antiosteopontin) and neovascularization (anti-CD31) at the defect sites revealed >2-fold increase in the expression of the markers in both Ga- and Zn-doped, CaP-coated implants. Zn-doped implants further presented low inflammatory reaction, notable bone regeneration, and neovascularization among all the implant groups. These findings indicated that Ga- and Zn-doped CaP coating is an important strategy to control the degradation rate as well as to achieve enhanced bone regeneration capacity of the implants made of Mg-based alloys.

Zn doped CaP coatings used for controlling the degradation rate of MgCa1 alloy: In vitro anticorrosive properties, sterilization and bacteria/cell-material interactions

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of Zn doped CaP coatings prepared by micro-arc oxidation method, as a possible approach to control MgCa1 alloy degradation. All the prepared coatings comprised a calcium deficient CaP phase. The control in this evaluation was performed with undoped CaP coating in SBF solution at body temperature (37 ± 0.5⁰C). The investigation involved determination of microchemical, mechanical, morphological, properties along with anticorrosive, cytocompatibility and antibacterial efficacy. The effect of sterilization process on the properties of the surfaces was also investigated. The results showed that the addition of Zn into CaP increased the corrosion resistance of MgCa1 alloy. Moreover, the adhesion strength of the coatings to MgCa1 alloy was enhanced by Zn addition. In cytotoxicity testing of the samples, extracts of the samples in MEM were incubated with L929 cells and malformation, degeneration and lysis of the cells were examined microscopically after 72 h. The results showed that all samples were cytocompatible. The degradation of MgCa1 alloy in the simulated body fluids (SBF) or DMEM was decreased by coating with CaP. Moreover, the degradation rate of CaP was further decreased by adding a small amount of Zn into the CaP matrix. The samples having CaP coatings and Zn doped CaP coating demonstrated antibacterial efficacy against E.coli. As a result, coating of magnesium alloy with Zn-doped CaP decreased the degradation rate, increased the corrosion resistance, cytocompatibility and the antibacterial effects of the alloys.

Effect of Filler Types on Cellulose-Acetate-Based Composite Used as Coatings for Biodegradable Magnesium Implants for Trauma

Magnesium alloys are considered one of the most promising materials for biodegradable trauma implants because they promote bone healing and exhibit adequate mechanical strength during their biodegradation in relation to the bone healing process. Surface modification of biodegradable magnesium alloys is an important research field that is analyzed in many publications as the biodegradation due to the corrosion process and the interface with human tissue is improved. The aim of the current preliminary study is to develop a polymeric-based composite coating on biodegradable magnesium alloys by the solvent evaporation method to reduce the biodegradation rate much more than in the case of simple polymeric coatings by involving some bioactive filler in the form of particles consisting of hydroxyapatite and magnesium. Various techniques such as SEM coupled with EDS, FTIR, and RAMAN spectroscopy, and contact angle were used for the structural and morphological characterization of the coatings. In addition, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) was used to study the effect of filler particles on polymer thermostability. In vitro cytotoxicity assays were performed on MG-63 cells (human osteosarcomas). The experimental analysis highlights the positive effect of magnesium and hydroxyapatite particles as filler for cellulose acetate when they are used alone from biocompatibility and surface analysis points of view, and it is not recommended to use both types of particles (hydroxyapatite and magnesium) as hybrid filling. In future studies focused on implantation testing, we will use only CA-based composite coatings with one filler on magnesium alloys because these composite coatings have shown better results from the in vitro testing point of view for future potential orthopedic biodegradable implants for trauma.

Corrosion Resistance and Cytocompatibility of Magnesium-Calcium Alloys Modified with Zinc- or Gallium-Doped Calcium Phosphate Coatings

In orthopedic surgery, metals are preferred to support or treat damaged bones due to their high mechanical strength. However, the necessity for a second surgery for implant removal after healing creates problems. Therefore, biodegradable metals, especially magnesium (Mg), gained importance, although their extreme susceptibility to galvanic corrosion limits their applications. The focus of this study was to control the corrosion of Mg and enhance its biocompatibility. For this purpose, surfaces of magnesium-calcium (MgCa1) alloys were modified with calcium phosphate (CaP) or CaP doped with zinc (Zn) or gallium (Ga) via microarc oxidation. The effects of surface modifications on physical, chemical, and mechanical properties and corrosion resistance of the alloys were studied using surface profilometry, goniometry, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), nanoindentation, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The coating thickness was about 5-8 μm, with grain sizes of 43.1 nm for CaP coating and 28.2 and 58.1 nm for Zn- and Ga-doped coatings, respectively. According to EIS measurements, the capacitive response (Y_c) decreased from 11.29 to 8.72 and 0.15 Ω^-1 cm^-2 sⁿ upon doping with Zn and Ga, respectively. The E_corr value, which was -1933 mV for CaP-coated samples, was found significantly electropositive at -275 mV for Ga-doped ones. All samples were cytocompatible according to indirect tests. In vitro culture with Saos-2 cells led to changes in the surface compositions of the alloys. The numbers of cells attached to the Zn-doped (2.6 × 10⁴ cells/cm²) and Ga-doped (6.3 × 10⁴ cells/cm²) coatings were higher than that on the surface of the undoped coating (1.0 × 10³ cells/cm²). Decreased corrosivity and enhanced cell affinity of the modified MgCa alloys (CaP coated and Zn and Ga doped, with Ga-doped ones having the greatest positive effect) make them novel and promising candidates as biodegradable metallic implant materials for the treatment of bone damages and other orthopedic applications.

A Two-Step Approach to Tune the Micro and Nanoscale Morphology of Porous Niobium Oxide to Promote Osteointegration

We present a two-step surface modification process to tailor the micro and nano morphology of niobium oxide layers. Niobium was firstly anodized in spark regime in a Ca- and P-containing solution and subsequently treated by acid etching. The effects of anodizing time and applied potential on the surface morphology is investigated with SEM and AFM, complemented by XPS compositional analysis. Anodizing with a limiting potential of 250 V results in the fast growth of oxide layers with a homogeneous distribution of micro-sized pores. Cracks are, however, observed on 250 V grown layers. Limiting the anodizing potential to 200 V slows down the oxide growth, increasing the anodizing time needed to achieve a uniform pore coverage but produces fracture-free oxide layers. The surface nano morphology is further tuned by a subsequent acid etching process that leads to the formation of nano-sized pits on the anodically grown oxide surface. In vitro tests show that the etching-induced nanostructure effectively promotes cell adhesion and spreading onto the niobium oxide surface.

Calcium Doped Flash-PEO Coatings for Corrosion Protection of Mg Alloy

This study demonstrates a significant improvement of the corrosion resistance of an AZ31B magnesium alloy achieved by the application of 1 μm-thin coatings generated by an environmentally friendly flash plasma electrolytic oxidation (FPEO) process in Ca-containing electrolytes. Two compounds with different solubility, calcium oxide (CaO) or calcium glycerophosphate (CaGlyP), were used as sources of Ca in the electrolyte. Very short durations (20–45 s) of the FPEO process were employed with the aim of limiting the energy consumption. The corrosion performance of the developed coatings was compared with that of a commercial conversion coating (CC) of similar thickness. The viability of the coatings in a full system protection approach, consisting of FPEO combined with an inhibitor-free epoxy primer, was verified in neutral salt spray and paint adhesion tests. The superior corrosion performance of the FPEO_CaGlyP coating, both as a stand-alone coating and as a full system, was attributed to the formation of a greater complexity of Ca2+ bonds with SiO2 and PO43− species within the MgO ceramic network during the in situ incorporation of Ca into the coating from a double chelated electrolyte and the resultant difficulties with the hydrolysis of such a network. The deterioration of the FPEO_CaGlyP coating during immersion was found over ten times slower compared with Ca-free flash-PEO coating.

Next-Generation Biomaterials for Bone-Tissue Regeneration: Mg-Alloys on the Move

Disorders related to the bone health are becoming a significant concern due to subsequent rise in ageing human population. It is estimated that more than two million bone-surgeries are performed worldwide with an annual cost of $2.5 billion. In order to replace damaged bone-tissues and restore their function, biomaterials consisting of stainless steels, cobalt-chromium and titanium alloys are implanted. However, these permanent (non-biodegradable) implants often lead to stress-shielding effects and ions release as they interact with the cells and fluids in the body. It is required to overcome these issues by improving the quality of implant materials and increasing their service life. Recently, research in biodegradable materials, consisting of magnesium alloys in particular, has received global attention owning to their biocompatibility and closer mechanical properties to the natural bone. However, due to their rapid corrosion rate in the body fluids, clinical applications of Mg-alloys as viable bone-implants have been restricted. A number of Mg-alloys have been tested since (both in vivo and in vitro) to optimize their biodegradation rare and corrosion properties. The present review summarizes the most recent developments in Mg-alloys designed with biodegradation tailored to the bone-cells growth and highlights the most successful ways to optimize their surface properties for optimum cell/material interaction.

Corrosion behaviour of micro-arc oxidation coatings on Mg–2Sr prepared in poly(ethylene glycol)-incorporated electrolytes

The highest corrosion resistance and lowest biodegradation are observed on the ceramic coating prepared in electrolytes containing 8 g L⁻¹ PEG₁₀₀₀.

Quantifying the degradation of degradable implants and bone formation in the femoral condyle using micro-CT 3D reconstruction

Degradation limits the application of magnesium alloys, and evaluation methods for non-traumatic in vivo quantification of implant degradation and bone formation are imperfect. In the present study, a micro-arc-oxidized AZ31 magnesium alloy was used to evaluate the degradation of implants and new bone formation in 60 male New Zealand white rabbits. Degradation was monitored by weighing the implants prior to and following implantation, and by performing micro-computed tomography (CT) scans and histological analysis after 1, 4, 12, 24, 36, and 48 weeks of implantation. The results indicated that the implants underwent slow degradation in the first 4 weeks, with negligible degradation in the first week, followed by significantly increased degradation during weeks 12–24 (P<0.05), and continued degradation until the end of the 48-week experimental period. The magnesium content decreased as the implant degraded (P<0.05); however, the density of the material exhibited almost no change. Micro-CT results also demonstrated that pin volume, pin mineral density, mean ‘pin thickness’, bone surface/bone volume and trabecular separation decreased over time (P<0.05), and that the pin surface area/pin volume, bone volume fraction, trabecular thickness, trabecular number and tissue mineral density increased over time (P<0.05), indicating that the number of bones and density of new bone increased as magnesium degraded. These results support the positive effect of magnesium on osteogenesis. However, from the maximum inner diameter of the new bone loop and diameter of the pin in the same position, the magnesium alloy was not capable of creating sufficient bridges between the bones and biomaterials when there were preexisting gaps. Histological analyses indicated that there were no inflammatory responses around the implants. The results of the present study indicate that a micro-arc-oxidized AZ31 magnesium alloy is safe in vivo and efficiently degraded. Furthermore, the novel bone formation increased as the implant degraded. The findings concluded that micro-CT, which is useful for providing non-traumatic, in vivo, quantitative and precise data, has great value for exploring the degradation of implants and novel bone formation.

Effect of phosphate additives on the microstructure, bioactivity, and degradability of microarc oxidation coatings on Mg-Zn-Ca-Mn alloy

Calcium phosphate coatings were prepared on the surface of self-designed Mg-Zn-Ca-Mn alloy using microarc oxidization technology. To characterize the microstructures, cross-section morphologies, and compositions of the coatings, the authors used scanning electron microscopy equipped with an energy-disperse spectrometer, x-ray diffraction, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Potentiodynamic polarization in the simulated body fluid (SBF) was used to evaluate the corrosion behaviors of the samples. An SBF immersion test was used to evaluate the coating bioactivity and degradability. After the immersion tests, some bonelike apatite formed on the coating surfaces indicate that bioactivity of the coatings is excellent. The coating prepared in electrolyte containing (NaPO3)6 had slower degradation rate after immersion test for 21 days.

Poly(ether imide)-silica hybrid coatings for tunable corrosion behavior and improved biocompatibility of magnesium implants

Magnesium (Mg) and its alloys have gained considerable attention as a promising biomaterial for bioresorbable orthopedic implants, but the corrosion behavior of Mg-based implants is still the major issue for clinical use. In order to improve the corrosion stability and implant-tissue interfaces of these implants, methods for coating Mg have been actively investigated. In this study, poly(ether imide) (PEI)-silica hybrid material was coated on Mg, for the tunable degradation and enhanced biological behavior. Homogeneous PEI-silica hybrid materials with various silica contents were coated on Mg substrates without any cracks, where silica nanoparticles were well dispersed in the PEI matrix without significant particle agglomeration up the 30 vol% silica. The hybrid coatings maintained good adhesion strength of PEI to Mg. The corrosion rate of hybrid-coated Mg was increased along with the increment of the silica content, due to improved hydrophilicity of the hybrid coating layers. Moreover, the biocompatibility of the hybrid-coated Mg specimens was significantly improved, mainly due to the higher Mg ion concentrations associated with faster corrosion, compared to PEI-coated Mg. Therefore, PEI-silica hybrid systems have significant potential as a coating material of Mg for load-bearing orthopedic applications by providing tunable corrosion behavior and enhanced biological performance.

Characterization and biodegradation behavior of micro-arc oxidation coatings formed on Mg–Zn–Ca alloys in two different electrolytes

Schematic illustrations of degradation mechanism of the porous MAO coating on Mg alloys in SBF.

In vitro degradation and electrochemical corrosion evaluations of microarc oxidized pure Mg, Mg-Ca and Mg-Ca-Zn alloys for biomedical applications

Calcium phosphate (CaP) ceramic coatings were fabricated on pure magnesium (Mg) and self-designed Mg-0.6Ca, Mg-0.55Ca-1.74Zn alloys by microarc oxidation (MAO). The coating formation, growth and biomineralization mechanisms were discussed. The coating degradability and bioactivity were evaluated by immersion tests in trishydroxymethyl-aminomethane hydrochloric acid (Tris-HCl) buffer and simulated body fluid (SBF) solutions, respectively. The coatings and corrosion products were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffractometer (XRD), X-ray photoelectron spectrometer (XPS) and fourier transform infrared spectrometer (FT-IR). The electrochemical workstation was used to investigate the electrochemical corrosion behaviors of substrates and coatings. Results showed that Mg-0.55Ca-1.74Zn alloy exhibits the highest mechanical strength and electrochemical corrosion resistance among the three alloys. The MAO-coated Mg-0.55Ca-1.74Zn alloy has the potential to be served as a biodegradable implant.

The in vitro degradation process and biocompatibility of a ZK60 magnesium alloy with a forsterite-containing micro-arc oxidation coating

Magnesium has attracted much attention as a class of biodegradable metallic biomaterials. In this study, a silicate electrolyte-based micro-arc oxidation (MAO) treatment was adopted to prepare forsterite-containing MAO coatings on a ZK60 magnesium alloy in order to decrease the degradation rate and increase the biological property of the alloy. Four anodization voltages were chosen to prepare the MAO coatings. The cell experiment showed a cytotoxicity of grade 0 for the MAO-coated alloy to L929 cells and the hemolytic ratio was dramatically decreased for the MAO-coated alloy compared with the bare one. The corrosion resistance and the degradation behavior of the MAO-coated ZK60 alloy were studied using drop tests, electrochemical measurements and immersion tests. The results indicate that the MAO coating could effectively decrease the initial degradation rate of the alloy. The corrosion resistance of MAO coating was increased with the elevation of the preparation voltage. A degradation model for ZK60 alloy with a forsterite-containing MAO coating was proposed. Based on the model, the MAO-coated alloy experiences destruction and restoration simultaneously, and the coating fails in a peeling-off mode.

Bioactive Ca-P coating with self-sealing structure on pure magnesium

Bioactive coatings containing Ca and P with self-sealing structures were fabricated on the surface of pure magnesium using micro-arc oxidation technique (MAO) in a specific calcium hydroxide based electrolyte system. Coatings were prepared at three applied voltages, i.e. 360, 410 and 450 V, and the morphology, chemical composition, corrosion resistance and the degradation properties in Hank's solution of the MAO-coated samples with three different applied voltages were investigated. It was found that all the three coatings showed similar surface morphologies that the majority of micro-pores were filled with compound particles. Both the porous structures and the compound particles were found to contain consistent chemical compositions which were mainly composed of O, Mg, F, Ca and P. Electrochemical tests showed a significant increase in corrosion resistance for the three coatings, meanwhile the coating obtained at 450 V exhibited the superior corrosion resistance owing to the largest coating thickness. The long term immersion tests in Hank's solution also revealed an effective reduction in corrosion rate for the MAO coated samples, and the pH values of the coated samples always maintained a lower level. Besides, all the three coatings were subjected to a mild and uniform degradation, while the coating obtained at 360 V showed a relatively obvious degradation characteristic and appreciable Ca and P contents on the surfaces of the three coatings were observed after immersion in Hank's solution. The results of the present study confirmed that the MAO coatings containing bioactive Ca and P elements with self-sealing structures could significantly enhance the corrosion resistance of magnesium substrate in Hanks' solution with great potential for medical application.