EUROPEAN CONGRESS AND EXHIBITION ON ADVANCED MATERIALS AND PROCESSES - EUROMAT 2021

Implant-associated infections are a crucial issue for the failure of medical treatments which leads economic and social associated costs. Bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation are important steps for the development of implant-related infections. Titanium-base bulk metallic glasses (BMGs) have attracted much attention for future medical applications such as orthopedic implants for prosthesis, fixation, and dental implants, thanks to its specific mechanical properties and superior biocompatibility. In this work, a new concept of biomaterials is proposed to handle this problem. Biocompatible Ti-based BMG without toxic elements such as Ni, Al and Be were casted. The cast BMG were thermo-mechanically characterized to determine the proper processing temperature and time for compression molding based thermoplastic net-shaping (TPN) without crystalizing its amorphous structure. To generate micro-/nano-patterned surface features, the casted BMG were then processed in super cooled liquid region (SCLR) with an optimized template. The patterned surface features were characterized with scanning electron microscope and contact angle measurement. Afterward, PEG-based biopolymers were spin-coated on the patterned surface of BMG and then annealed under different temperatures and times to induce self-organizing hierarchical structures. The final self-assembled hierarchical structures were characterized by polarized light microscopy and confocal laser microscopy. This new strategy aimx to enhance antibacterial properties and inhibit biofilm formation for hard tissue implants in biomedical application.