The influence of albumin on the anodic dissolution of chromium present in UNS S31254 stainless steel in chloride environment

Multifunctional hydroxyapatite and hopeite coatings on SS254 by laser rapid manufacturing for improved osseointegration and antibacterial character: A comparative study

Orthopaedic metallic implant's long-term success strongly depends upon the two main factors: osseointegration and antibacterial character. Bioceramic (hydroxyapatite and hopeite) coatings have been proven effective for getting strong osseointegration and antibacterial character. However, deterioration of bioceramic coatings during the implantation period can adversely affect its overall biological performance. To conquer this issue, this research work recommends an innovative process route of laser rapid manufacturing for depositing bioceramic (hydroxyapatite and hopeite) coatings with metallurgical bonding. Microstructure, phase composition, antibacterial efficacy and bioactivity were evaluated using scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, fluorescence-activated cell sorting technique and simulated body fluid immersion test. The promising results obtained from these characterizations and testing establish the new process route laser rapid manufacturing as an effective alternative to deposit multifunctional bioceramic (hydroxyapatite and hopeite) coatings on metallic prosthetic-orthopaedic implants.

Effect of the coexistence of albumin and H2O2 on the corrosion of biomedical cobalt alloys in physiological saline

The corrosion of Co-28Cr-6Mo and Co-35Ni-20Cr-10Mo, as biomedical alloys, has been investigated for effects of typical species (albumin and H2O2) in physiological saline, with their coexistence explored for the first time. Electrochemical and long term immersion tests were carried out. It was found that Co alloys were not sensitive to the presence of albumin alone, which slightly promoted anodic dissolution of Co-35Ni-20Cr-10Mo without noticeably affecting Co-28Cr-6Mo and facilitated oxide film dissolution on both alloys. H2O2 led to a clear drop in corrosion resistance, favouring metal release and surface oxide formation and inducing much thicker but less compact oxide films for both alloys. The coexistence of both species resulted in the worst corrosion resistance and most metal release, while the amount and composition of surface oxide remained at a similar level as in the absence of both. The effect of H2O2 inducing low compactness of surface oxides should prevail on deciding the poor corrosion protection ability of passive film, while albumin simultaneously promoted dissolution or inhibited formation of oxides due to H2O2. Corrosion resistance was consistently lower for Co-35Ni-20Cr-10Mo under each condition, the only alloy where the synergistic effect of both species was clearly demonstrated. This work suggests that the complexity of the environment must be considered for corrosion resistance evaluation of biomedical alloys.

Protein interactions with corroding metal surfaces: comparison of Mg and Fe

The influence of bovine serum albumin (BSA) on the electrochemical behaviour of pure Mg and Fe was studied in simulated body fluid (SBF), in view of the possible application of these materials as biodegradable metals. Results indicate a different trend for the BSA-effect on corrosion for the two metals: for Mg, a strong corrosion-inhibiting effect is observed in the presence of BSA in solution, especially for short-term exposure, whereas for Fe only a slight acceleration of corrosion is caused by the addition of BSA to the solution. For both metals, the protein-effect on the electrochemical behaviour shows a complex time-dependence. Surface analysis indicates that stronger BSA adsorption takes place on Mg than on Fe. Moreover, adsorption experiments with BSA and a second protein (lysozyme) were conducted. The results are discussed in view of electrostatic interactions between differently charged metal oxide/hydroxide surfaces and proteins.

Adsorption of bovine serum albumin on CoCrMo surface: effect of temperature and protein concentration

The adsorption of bovine serum albumin (BSA) onto CoCrMo surface has been studied as a function of concentration of BSA and temperature by electrochemical techniques. The electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) technique was used to investigate the interfacial behaviour of BSA at open circuit potential (OCP). The charge transfer resistance was very sensitive to the amount of adsorbed protein, indicating that the adsorption process was accompanied by the transfer of charge and influenced the mechanism and kinetics of the corrosion reaction. At all the temperatures studied, adsorption of BSA onto the CoCrMo surface was successfully described with a Langmuir adsorption isotherm. EIS study was also carried out for determine the surface charge density, resulting from protein adsorption, and it was shown to be directly proportional to the amount of adsorbed protein (surface concentration). Thermodynamic data of adsorption was obtained for analyzing the adsorption of BSA onto CoCrMo surface. Gibbs free energy of adsorption, DeltaG(ADS) values, for BSA in the investigated temperature range (-51kJmol(-1)) showed that the molecules have a strong affinity for the CoCrMo surface. Enthalpy (DeltaH(ADS)) and entropy (DeltaS(ADS)) of adsorption suggested that the adsorption process of BSA onto the CoCrMo surface is an endothermic process and the molecule suffers structural changes when adsorbing on the metallic surface.