Osteogenic Enhancement of Zirconia-Toughened Alumina with Silicon Nitride and Bioglass<sup>®</sup>
Giuseppe Pezzotti,
Elia Marin,
Matteo Zanocco,
Francesco Boschetto,
Wenliang Zhu,
Bryan J. McEntire,
B. Sonny Bal,
Tetsuya Adachi,
Toshiro Yamamoto,
Narisato Kanamura,
Osam Mazda
Affiliations
Giuseppe Pezzotti
Ceramic Physics Laboratory, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Sakyo-ku, Matsugasaki, Kyoto 606-8585, Japan
Elia Marin
Ceramic Physics Laboratory, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Sakyo-ku, Matsugasaki, Kyoto 606-8585, Japan
Matteo Zanocco
Ceramic Physics Laboratory, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Sakyo-ku, Matsugasaki, Kyoto 606-8585, Japan
Francesco Boschetto
Ceramic Physics Laboratory, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Sakyo-ku, Matsugasaki, Kyoto 606-8585, Japan
Wenliang Zhu
Ceramic Physics Laboratory, Kyoto Institute of Technology, Sakyo-ku, Matsugasaki, Kyoto 606-8585, Japan
Bryan J. McEntire
SINTX Technologies Corporation, 1885 West 2100 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84119, USA
B. Sonny Bal
SINTX Technologies Corporation, 1885 West 2100 South, Salt Lake City, UT 84119, USA
Tetsuya Adachi
Department of Dental Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan
Toshiro Yamamoto
Department of Dental Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan
Narisato Kanamura
Department of Dental Medicine, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kamigyo-ku, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan
Osam Mazda
Department of Immunology, Graduate School of Medical Science, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, Kamigyo-ku, 465 Kajii-cho, Kyoto 602-8566, Japan
Alumina (Al2O3) ceramic implants do not stimulate osteoblasts in vivo. Surface alterations targeted at changing the chemistry or topography have been proposed to enhance the bioactivity of alumina. This surface modification is intended to improve oxide bioceramic’s ability to integrate with the biological environment and, in particular, to rapidly osteointegrate. In this study, the surface of zirconia-toughened alumina (ZTA) was functionalized using two methods: (i) Surface laser-patterning and successive filling of patterned wells with powder mixtures of bioglass and Si3N4; and, (ii) Si3N4 coating by pulse-laser sintering. Functionalized ZTA surfaces were characterized with vibrational spectroscopy, biological testing, and laser microscopy. Both enhancements resulted in osteoblast activation, a property that is relevant to osteosynthesis.
