A nanowire coating on biocompatible titanium gives a more effective surface, and a University of Arkansas team has found an inexpensive way of doing this. This is significant for areas such as hip replacement, dental implants and stents, the little things popped into arteries and veins to keep them open. They used an alkali and heat to create titanium oxide-based ceramic nanowires that coat the surface of a titanium medical device.

“We can control the length, the height, the pore openings and the pore volumes within the nanowire scaffolds” by varying the time, temperature and alkali concentration in the reaction, said Z. Ryan Tian, assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences. “This process is also extremely sustainable,” requiring only that the device be rinsed in reusable water after the heating process.

One problem with regular titanium implants is that muscle tissue may not anchor itself to them, causing replacement to be necessary after a decade. The new process results in good muscle growth to the implanted units, and has potential uses to help stents elute drugs to combat fatty build-up. The treated units are also easy to sterilize.

The material, when rinsed in water and exposed to ultraviolet light, kills more than 99 percent of bacteria on its surface. This effect occurs because photons from the light cause a charge separation on the material, splitting water molecules into free radicals that destroy the bacteria. Alternatively, immersion in 70 percent ethanol completely sterilizes the material, allowing growth of cells/tissues in the laboratory prior to implantation.

This is one of those things that make what we already do somewhat better. Much of nanotechnology is like that.

From Adam Smith Institute

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