Viability of Titanium-Titanium Boride Composite as a Biomaterial. (10th July 2013)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Makau, F. M.; Morsi, K.; Gude, N.; Alvarez, R.; Sussman, M.; May-Newman, K.
• Other Names: Chen W.-C. Academic Editor.; Galli C. Academic Editor.; Toppari J. Academic Editor.; Wang J. Academic Editor.
• Is Part Of: ISRN biomaterials. Volume 2013(2013)
• Publication Date: 2013-07-10
• Subjects: Biomedical materials -- Periodicals; 610.28
• DOI: 10.5402/2013/970535
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2314-4025

Abstract

Abstract : The use of reinforcements to enhance mechanical properties of titanium such as hardness has been adopted by many researchers. Of these reinforcements, titanium boride has emerged as one of the most suitable reinforcements for titanium which is both chemically and mechanically compatible with the titanium matrix. Despite the extensive work conducted on these types of composites, very little is known about their biocompatibility which has so far precluded their use in bioapplications. The present paper investigates, for the first time, the biocompatibility of powder-processed titanium-titanium boride (Ti-TiB w ) composites for use in medical and dental implants and basic studies on fibroblast attachment conducted to assessTi-TiB w for this application. The work is intended to serve as an initial step towards understanding the bioresponse of these composites by evaluating cytotoxicity, cellular attachment and morphology, and hemolytic potential. Results indicate that fibroblasts attach, proliferate, and achieve confluency when in contact with theTi-TiB w composites, exhibiting normal morphology. Furthermore, the cells show a favorable growth rate when cultured with the composite for 48 hours. TheTi-TiB w composite demonstrated excellent blood biocompatibility, with a low hemolysis level (0.12% ) when compared with CP Ti (0.17%) and Ti-6Al-4V (0.36%). These findings suggest thatTi-TiB w composite is biocompatible and further investigation into its suitability as a biomaterial should be considered.