Innovative Bioactive Ca-SZ Coating on Titanium Dental Implants: A Multidimensional Structural and Elemental Analysis

Abstract

The design of new, biomimetic biomaterials is of great strategic interest and is converging for many applications, including in implantology. This study explores a novel approach to improving dental implants. Although endosseous TA6V alloy dental implants are widely used in oral implantology, this material presents significant challenges, notably the prevalence of peri-implantitis. Therefore, in this study, we investigate a new advance in the design of hybrid medical devices. This involves the design of a Ca-SZ coating deposited by PVD on a TA6V substrate. This approach aims to overcome the inherent limitations of each of these materials, namely TA6V's susceptibility to peri-implantitis on the one hand and zirconia's excessively high Young's modulus compared with bone on the other, while benefiting from their respective advantages, such as the ductility of TA6V and the excellent biocompatibility of zirconia, offering relevant prospects for the design of high-performance implantable medical devices. This study integrates characterisation techniques, focusing on the structural and elemental analysis of the Ca-SZ coating by XRD and TEM. The results suggest that this coating combines a tetragonal structure, a uniform morphology with no apparent defects, a clean interface highlighting good adhesion, and a homogeneous composition of calcium, predisposing it to optimal biocompatibility. All of these findings make this innovative coating a particularly suitable candidate for application in dental implantology.

Keywords: Ca-SZ; adhesion; biomaterials; coating; implants.

Figure 1

Diffraction pattern of the 850 nm thick Ca-SZ coating deposited by PVD on a TA6V substrate.

Figure 2

Comparative diffraction pattern of 250, 450, and 850 nm thick Ca-SZ coatings deposited by PVD on a TA6V.

Figure 3

SEM image of the FIB lamella obtained from an 850 nm thick coating of Ca-SZ deposited by PVD on a TA6V substrate (magnification ×15,000 SEM FIB Helios NanoLab 600i).

Figure 4

TEM micrograph of the transverse subsurface of the Ca-SZ coating (indicated by the yellow arrow), (× magnification 11,877.1 on the left and 48,898.2 on the right) (transition interface indicated by a circle).

Figure 5

HR-TEM micrographs of the Ca-SZ coating at various magnifications, accompanied by a fast Fourier transform insertion (a,c). The hkl planes of the corresponding grating are identified in the simulated diffraction patterns on images (b,d).

Figure 6

HR-TEM micrograph of the TA6V/Ca-SZ interface with fast Fourier transform insertion. The hkl planes of the corresponding grating are identified on the simulated diffraction images of the TA6V zone (square frame indicated by the arrow). The encircled zone between the Ca-SZ coating and the TA6V substrate is the interfacial trasnistion line.

Figure 7

STEM micrograph at progressive magnification. On the left, dark field annular imaging sensitive to chemical contrast (HAADF) is shown, and on the right, bright field (BF) annular imaging sensitive to light elements.

Figure 8

X-ray maps of the Ca-SZ/TA6V interface (magnification 100 k).

Figure 9

HAADF EDS point image (magnification 100 k).

Figure 10

Evolution profile and semi-quantitative composition (magnification 100 k).

Figure 11

X-ray maps of the Ca-SZ/TA6V interface (magnification 1000 k).

Figure 12

HAADF EDS point image (magnification 1000 k).

Figure 13

Evolution profile and semi-quantitative composition (magnification 1000 k).