Development of tantalum with highly hydrophilic surface and antimicrobial properties obtained by micro-arc oxidation process

Progress of research on the surface functionalization of tantalum and porous tantalum in bone tissue engineering

Tantalum and porous tantalum are ideal materials for making orthopedic implants due to their stable chemical properties and excellent biocompatibility. However, their utilization is still affected by loosening, infection, and peripheral inflammatory reactions, which sometimes ultimately lead to implant removal. An ideal bone implant should have exceptional biological activity, which can improve the surrounding biological microenvironment to enhance bone repair. Recent advances in surface functionalization have produced various strategies for developing compatibility between either of the two materials and their respective microenvironments. This review provides a systematic overview of state-of-the-art strategies for conferring biological functions to tantalum and porous tantalum implants. Furthermore, the review describes methods for preparing active surfaces and different bioactive substances that are used, summarizing their functions. Finally, this review discusses current challenges in the development of optimal bone implant materials.

Current Advances and Applications of Tantalum Element in Infected Bone Defects

Infected bone defects (IBDs) cause significant economic and psychological burdens, posing a huge challenge to clinical orthopedic surgeons. Traditional approaches for managing IBDs possess inevitable shortcomings; therefore, it is necessary to develop new functionalized scaffolds. Tantalum (Ta) has been widely used in load-bearing orthopedic implants due to its good biocompatibility and corrosion resistance. However, undecorated Ta could only structurally repair common bone defects, which failed to meet the clinical needs of bacteriostasis for IBDs. Researchers have made great efforts to functionalize Ta scaffolds to enhance their antibacterial activity through various methods, including surface coating, alloying, and micro- and nanostructure modifications. Additionally, several studies have successfully utilized Ta to modify orthopedic scaffolds for enhanced antibacterial function. These studies remarkably extended the application range of Ta. Therefore, this review systematically outlines the advances in the fundamental and clinical application of Ta in the treatment of IBDs, focusing on the antibacterial properties of Ta, its functionalization for bacteriostasis, and its applications in the modification of orthopedic scaffolds. This study provides researchers with an overview of the application of Ta in the treatment of IBDs.

A review: strategies to reduce infection in tantalum and its derivative applied to implants

Implant-associated infection is the main reasons for implant failure. Titanium and titanium alloy are currently the most widely used implant materials. However, they have limited antibacterial performance. Therefore, enhancing the antibacterial ability of implants by surface modification technology has become a trend of research. Tantalum is a potential implant coating material with good biological properties. With the development of surface modification technology, tantalum coating becomes more functional through improvement. In addition to improving osseointegration, its antibacterial performance has also become the focus of attention. In this review, we provide an overview of the latest strategies to improve tantalum antibacterial properties. We demonstrate the potential of the clinical application of tantalum in reducing implant infections by stressing its advantageous properties.

Improvement in osteogenesis, vascularization, and corrosion resistance of titanium with silicon-nitride doped micro-arc oxidation coatings

Titanium (Ti) implants have been widely used for the treatment of tooth loss due to their excellent biocompatibility and mechanical properties. However, modifying the biological properties of these implants to increase osteointegration remains a research challenge. Additionally, the continuous release of various metal ions in the oral microenvironment due to fluid corrosion can also lead to implant failure. Therefore, simultaneously improving the bioactivity and corrosion resistance of Ti-based materials is an urgent need. In recent decades, micro-arc oxidation (MAO) has been proposed as a surface modification technology to form a surface protective oxide layer and improve the comprehensive properties of Ti. The present study doped nano silicon nitride (Si₃N₄) particles into the Ti surface by MAO treatment to improve its corrosion resistance and provide excellent osteoinduction by enhancing alkaline phosphatase activity and osteogenic-related gene expression. In addition, due to the presence of silicon, the Si₃N₄-doped materials showed excellent angiogenesis properties, including the promotion of cell migration and tubule formation, which play essential roles in early recovery after implantation.

Advances in surface modification of tantalum and porous tantalum for rapid osseointegration: A thematic review

After bone defects reach a certain size, the body can no longer repair them. Tantalum, including its porous form, has attracted increasing attention due to good bioactivity, biocompatibility, and biomechanical properties. After a metal material is implanted into the body as a medical intervention, a series of interactions occurs between the material’s surface and the microenvironment. The interaction between cells and the surface of the implant mainly depends on the surface morphology and chemical composition of the implant’s surface. In this context, appropriate modification of the surface of tantalum can guide the biological behavior of cells, promote the potential of materials, and facilitate bone integration. Substantial progress has been made in tantalum surface modification technologies, especially nano-modification technology. This paper systematically reviews the progress in research on tantalum surface modification for the first time, including physicochemical properties, biological performance, and surface modification technologies of tantalum and porous tantalum.

A Decade of Progress on MAO-Treated Tantalum Surfaces: Advances and Contributions for Biomedical Applications

Micro-structured coatings with functional properties have been investigated due to a wide range of applications. It is known that micro-structures can play an important role in surface interactions determining the materials’ performance. Amongst the other materials, there has been an increasing interest in tantalum oxide (Ta₂O₅). This attention is mainly due to its variety of properties: biocompatibility and bioactivity; high dielectric constant; good thermal and chemical stability; excellent corrosion and mechanical resistance. Moreover, there is a wide range of applications in which the properties can be fitted. Furthermore, according to the final application, these properties can be enhanced or tailored through surface micro-structures manipulation. Due to this purpose, over the past decade, Ta surface modification by micro-arc oxidation (MAO) has been investigated mostly for biomedical applications. Therefore, this review focuses on Ta surface functionalization using the MAO technique. A clear understanding of the micro-discharge phenomena and the formation mechanism of a Ta₂O₅ anodic coating by MAO is supplied. The Ta₂O₅ coating morphology, topography, chemistry, and structure are explored, establishing their correlation with the MAO parameters. Additionally, an understanding of Ta₂O₅’s biological, mechanical, and electrochemical properties is provided and reviewed.

Novel Approaches to Combat Medical Device-Associated BioFilms

Biofilms are aggregates formed as a protective survival state by microorganisms to adapt to the environment and can be resistant to antimicrobial agents and host immune responses due to chemical or physical diffusion barriers, modified nutrient environments, suppression of the growth rate within biofilms, and the genetic adaptation of cells within biofilms. With the widespread use of medical devices, medical device-associated biofilms continue to pose a serious threat to human health, and these biofilms have become the most important source of nosocomial infections. However, traditional antimicrobial agents cannot completely eliminate medical device-associated biofilms. New strategies for the treatment of these biofilms and targeting biofilm infections are urgently required. Several novel approaches have been developed and identified as effective and promising treatments. In this review, we briefly summarize the challenges associated with the treatment of medical device-associated biofilm infections and highlight the latest promising approaches aimed at preventing or eradicating these biofilms.