A novel tool for high-resolution transmission electron microscopy of intact interfaces between bone and metallic implants

Abstract

A key feature in the understanding of the mechanisms of integration versus rejection of implanted materials is a deepened understanding of the elemental and molecular compositions of the interface zone between the surface of the synthetic man-made material and the biological components of tissue. Intact interfaces between metallic implants and tissues have not been able to image and analyse on the ultrastructural level with the common transmission electron microscopy (TEM) sample preparation techniques. By using focused ion beam microscopy for site-specific preparation of TEM samples, intact interfaces between metal implants and calcified tissue were imaged for the first time. The interface's elemental and crystallographic compositions were determined using energy dispersive X-ray mapping and electron diffraction. The developed technique fulfills a long-sought-for demand to correlate the surface properties of implanted metal prostheses with the fine structure and composition of preserved interfaces with tissues.