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McHendrie R, Nguyen NH, Nguyen MT, Fallahnezhad K, Vasilev K, Truong VK, Hashemi R. Development of Novel Antibacterial Ti-Nb-Ga Alloys with Low Stiffness for Medical Implant Applications. J Funct Biomater 2024; 15:167. [PMID: 38921540 PMCID: PMC11204729 DOI: 10.3390/jfb15060167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2024] [Revised: 05/29/2024] [Accepted: 06/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
With the rising demand for medical implants and the dominance of implant-associated failures including infections, extensive research has been prompted into the development of novel biomaterials that can offer desirable characteristics. This study develops and evaluates new titanium-based alloys containing gallium additions with the aim of offering beneficial antibacterial properties while having a reduced stiffness level to minimise the effect of stress shielding when in contact with bone. The focus is on the microstructure, mechanical properties, antimicrobial activity, and cytocompatibility to inform the suitability of the designed alloys as biometals. Novel Ti-33Nb-xGa alloys (x = 3, 5 wt%) were produced via casting followed by homogenisation treatment, where all results were compared to the currently employed alloy Ti-6Al-4V. Optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) results depicted a single beta (β) phase microstructure in both Ga-containing alloys, where Ti-33Nb-5Ga was also dominated by dendritic alpha (α) phase grains in a β-phase matrix. EDS analysis indicated that the α-phase dendrites in Ti-33Nb-5Ga were enriched with titanium, while the β-phase was richer in niobium and gallium elements. Mechanical properties were measured using nanoindentation and microhardness methods, where the Young's modulus for Ti-33Nb-3Ga and Ti-33Nb-5Ga was found to be 75.4 ± 2.4 and 67.2 ± 1.6 GPa, respectively, a significant reduction of 37% and 44% with respect to Ti-6Al-4V. This reduction helps address the disproportionate Young's modulus between titanium implant components and cortical bone. Importantly, both alloys successfully achieved superior antimicrobial properties against Gram-negative P. aeruginosa and Gram-positive S. aureus bacteria. Antibacterial efficacy was noted at up to 90 ± 5% for the 3 wt% alloy and 95 ± 3% for the 5 wt% alloy. These findings signify a substantial enhancement of the antimicrobial performance when compared to Ti-6Al-4V which exhibited very small rates (up to 6.3 ± 1.5%). No cytotoxicity was observed in hGF cell lines over 24 h. Cell morphology and cytoskeleton distribution appeared to depict typical morphology with a prominent nucleus, elongated fibroblastic spindle-shaped morphology, and F-actin filamentous stress fibres in a well-defined structure of parallel bundles along the cellular axis. The developed alloys in this work have shown very promising results and are suggested to be further examined towards the use of orthopaedic implant components.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rhianna McHendrie
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Tonsley, SA 5042, Australia
| | - Ngoc Huu Nguyen
- College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA 5042, Australia
| | - Manh Tuong Nguyen
- College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA 5042, Australia
| | - Khosro Fallahnezhad
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Tonsley, SA 5042, Australia
| | - Krasimir Vasilev
- College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA 5042, Australia
| | - Vi Khanh Truong
- College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Bedford Park, SA 5042, Australia
| | - Reza Hashemi
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Tonsley, SA 5042, Australia
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McHendrie R, Xiao W, Truong VK, Hashemi R. Gallium-Containing Materials and Their Potential within New-Generation Titanium Alloys for Biomedical Applications. Biomimetics (Basel) 2023; 8:573. [PMID: 38132512 PMCID: PMC10741799 DOI: 10.3390/biomimetics8080573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
With the rising demand for implantable orthopaedic medical devices and the dominance of device-associated infections, extensive research into the development of novel materials has been prompted. Among these, new-generation titanium alloys with biocompatible elements and improved stiffness levels have received much attention. Furthermore, the development of titanium-based materials that can impart antibacterial function has demonstrated promising results, where gallium has exhibited superior antimicrobial action. This has been evidenced by the addition of gallium to various biomaterials including titanium alloys. Therefore, this paper aims to review the antibacterial activity of gallium when incorporated into biomedical materials, with a focus on titanium-based alloys. First, discussion into the development of new-generation Ti alloys that possess biocompatible elements and reduced Young's moduli is presented. This includes a brief review of the influence of alloying elements, processing techniques and the resulting biocompatibilities of the materials found in the literature. The antibacterial effect of gallium added to various materials, including bioglasses, liquid metals, and bioceramics, is then reviewed and discussed. Finally, a key focus is given to the incorporation of gallium into titanium systems for which the inherent mechanical, biocompatible, and antibacterial effects are reviewed and discussed in more detail, leading to suggestions and directions for further research in this area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rhianna McHendrie
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia;
| | - Wenlong Xiao
- School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China;
| | - Vi Khanh Truong
- College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia;
| | - Reza Hashemi
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA 5042, Australia;
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Kozadaeva M, Surmeneva M, Khrapov D, Rybakov V, Surmenev R, Koptyug A, Vladescu Dragomir A, Cotrut CM, Tyurin A, Grubova I. Assessment of Microstructural, Mechanical and Electrochemical Properties of Ti-42Nb Alloy Manufactured by Electron Beam Melting. MATERIALS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 16:4821. [PMID: 37445133 DOI: 10.3390/ma16134821] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2023] [Revised: 06/20/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/15/2023]
Abstract
The β-type Ti-42Nb alloy has been successfully manufactured from pre-alloyed powder using the E-PBF method for the first time. This study presents thorough microstructural investigations employing diverse methodologies such as EDS, XRD, TEM, and EBSD, while mechanical properties are assessed using UPT, nanoindentation, and compression tests. Microstructural analysis reveals that Ti-42Nb alloy primarily consisted of the β phase with the presence of a small amount of nano-sized α″-martensite formed upon fast cooling. The bimodal-grained microstructure of Ti-42Nb alloy comprising epitaxially grown fine equiaxed and elongated equiaxed β-grains with an average grain size of 40 ± 28 µm exhibited a weak texture. The study shows that the obtained microstructure leads to improved mechanical properties. Young's modulus of 78.69 GPa is significantly lower than that of cp-Ti and Ti-6Al-4V alloys. The yield strength (379 MPa) and hardness (3.2 ± 0.5 GPa) also meet the criteria and closely approximate the values typical of cortical bone. UPT offers a reliable opportunity to study the nature of the ductility of the Ti-42Nb alloy by calculating its elastic constants. XPS surface analysis and electrochemical experiments demonstrate that the better corrosion resistance of the alloy in SBF is maintained by the dominant presence of TiO2 and Nb2O5. The results provide valuable insights into the development of novel low-modulus Ti-Nb alloys, which are interesting materials for additive-manufactured implants with the desired properties required for their biomedical applications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Kozadaeva
- Physical Materials Science and Composite Materials Centre, Research School of Chemistry & Applied Biomedical Sciences, National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, 30 Lenina Avenue, 634050 Tomsk, Russia
| | - Maria Surmeneva
- Physical Materials Science and Composite Materials Centre, Research School of Chemistry & Applied Biomedical Sciences, National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, 30 Lenina Avenue, 634050 Tomsk, Russia
| | - Dmitriy Khrapov
- Physical Materials Science and Composite Materials Centre, Research School of Chemistry & Applied Biomedical Sciences, National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, 30 Lenina Avenue, 634050 Tomsk, Russia
| | - Vladimir Rybakov
- International Research and Development Center "Piezo- and Magnetoelectric Materials", Research School of Chemistry and Applied Biomedical Sciences, National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, 30 Lenina Avenue, 634050 Tomsk, Russia
| | - Roman Surmenev
- Physical Materials Science and Composite Materials Centre, Research School of Chemistry & Applied Biomedical Sciences, National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, 30 Lenina Avenue, 634050 Tomsk, Russia
| | - Andrey Koptyug
- Sports Tech Research Centre, Mid Sweden University, Akademigatan 1, SE 83125 Östersund, Sweden
| | - Alina Vladescu Dragomir
- Physical Materials Science and Composite Materials Centre, Research School of Chemistry & Applied Biomedical Sciences, National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, 30 Lenina Avenue, 634050 Tomsk, Russia
- National Institute of Research and Development for Optoelectronics INOE 2000, 409 Atomistilor St., 77125 Magurele, Romania
| | - Cosmin Mihai Cotrut
- Faculty of Materials and Science Engineering, University Politehnica of Bucharest, 313, Spl. Independentei, 060042 Bucharest, Romania
| | - Alexander Tyurin
- Institute "Nanotechnology and Nanomaterials", G.R. Derzhavin Tambov State University, 33 Internationalnaya St., 392000 Tambov, Russia
| | - Irina Grubova
- Physical Materials Science and Composite Materials Centre, Research School of Chemistry & Applied Biomedical Sciences, National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, 30 Lenina Avenue, 634050 Tomsk, Russia
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