TiO2 Nanotubes on Ti Dental Implant. Part 2: EIS Characterization in Hank’s Solution

Abstract

Titania nanotubes are widely studied for their potential applications in several fields. In this paper, the electrochemical characterization of a dental implant, made of commercially pure titanium grade 2, covered by titania nanotubes, when immersed in Hank’s solution, is proposed. Few papers were found in the scientific literature regarding this topic, so a brief review is reported, concerning the use of some equivalent circuits to model experimental data. The analysis of results, obtained by using Electrochemical Impedance Spectroscopy, showed that: (i) a good correlation exists between the variation of Ecorr and the estimated values of the charge transfer resistance for both the bare- and the nanotube-covered samples, (ii) the nanostructured surface seems to possess a more active behaviour, while the effect could be over-estimated due to the real extent of the surface covered by nanotubes, (iii) the analysis of the “n” parameter, used to fit the experimental data, confirms the complex nature of nanostructured layer as well as that the nanotubes are partially filled by compounds containing Ca, P and Mg, when immersed in Hank’s solution. The results obtained in this work give a better understanding of the electrochemical behaviour of the nanotubes layer when immersed in Hank’s solution and could help to design a surface able to improve the implant osseointegration.

Keywords

• dental implant
• titanium nanotubes
• EIS
• Hank’s solution