Submit to Materials Review for Materials Propose a Special Issue

Journal Browser

Bioceramics: Bioinert, Bioactive, and Coatings

Print Special Issue Flyer
Special Issue Editors
Special Issue Information
Keywords
Published Papers

A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Advanced and Functional Ceramics and Glasses".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (20 November 2021) | Viewed by 40202

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Andrew Ruys

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor

School of Biomedical Engineering, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia
Interests: biomaterials; bioceramics; ceramics; hydroxyapatite; alumina; ZTA (zirconia toughened alumina); DLC (diamond-like carbon); fibre-reinforced ceramics; porous materials; scaffolds; tissue engineering; bioactive glasses; electrophoretic deposition; bionic feedthroughs; bioactive coatings; DLC coatings; drug delivery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Bioceramics can be classed as three main types: Bioinert, bioactive, and coatings. Two bioinert bioceramics (Alumina and ZTA—zirconia toughened alumina), three bioactive bioceramics (bioglass, hydroxyapatite, and tri-calcium phosphate), and two bioceramic coatings (DLC—diamond-like-carbon and Oxinium®—oxidized zirconium), have all been ground-breaking bioceramics in the medical device and tissue-engineering realm. Each has had a revolutionary impact in the medical field in recent decades. Other niche bioceramics are also significant, such as zirconia and pyrolytic carbon.

Bioinert: The first documented reference to the idea of alumina as a biomaterial is in a 1933 German patent by Rock, but it was to be three decades before alumina again appeared in the literature in a biomedical context, with the 1965 patent of Sami Sandhaus on an alumina dental implant. 1970 was an extraordinary breakthrough year for alumina in biomedical engineering in both bionics and orthopaedics. In 1970, David Cowdery invented the alumina-feedthrough, resulting in the world’s first hermetic implantable bionic implant (pacemaker). Today, the bionic implant industry is a $25 billion industry, and the alumina feedthrough remains the industry standard. The alumina feedthrough has evolved enormously from the single-channel alumina pacemaker feedthrough of Cowdery in 1970 to the 1145-channel alumina bionic eye feedthrough of Suaning this decade. In 1970, Pierre Boutin implanted the world’s first “ceramic hip” utilizing an alumina-on-alumina bearing. The alumina hip bearing subsequently evolved in Germany as CeramTec Biolox to an extraordinary level of sophistication, particularly since 2003 when ZTA (zirconia toughened alumina) was introduced. Today, more than 50% of the 1.3 million hip replacements implanted annually use alumina or ZTA bearings.

Bioactive: At almost the same time, in the late 1960s, Larry Hench invented Bioglass (bioactive glass), which is today revolutionizing the field of regenerative medicine. Bioglass is capable of stimulating, not just hard tissue regeneration, but also soft tissue regeneration, giving it a unique niche in the realm of bioceramics. Moreover, the biodegradability and bioactivity of bioglass can be engineered by compositional variation, making it a very versatile bioactive bioceramic. One of the most important uses of bioglass is in polymer implants and scaffolds, rendered bioactive by doping with powdered bioglass. It also sees significant use in bone grafts. Early experimentation with synthetic hydroxyapatite (HA) predates the 1970-era bioglass, and alumina innovations. HA has proved to be a versatile bioactive bioceramic capable of hard-tissue direct bonding osteogenesis, and able to be engineered to be either biodegradable or non-biodegradable in vivo. In its non-biodegradable form, HA has been widely used since the 1990s in plasma-sprayed bioactive coatings on metal implants. As a biodegradable bioactive bioceramic, silicon-doped hydroxyapatite was first reported in a 1988 paper by Andrew Ruys. It was patented in 1996 by Serena Best, commercialized as Apatech, and sold to Baxter International for $330 Million in 2010. Silicon-doped HA scaffolds are now a leading global tissue scaffold technology. Tricalcium phosphate (TCP), the anhydrous biodegradable form of HA, is also widely used in synthetic bone graft applications.

Bioceramic coatings have also had a significant impact on the realm of biomaterials and medical devices in recent decades. Plasma sprayed HA coatings are discussed above. DLC has outstanding anti-thrombogenic properties and has seen significant use in blood-contacting implants. Oxidised zirconium (Oxinium®) is widely used in hip and knee implants for its superior wear resistance and similar biocompatibility compared to Cobalt-Chrome bearings.

This Special Issue is dedicated to all of the important innovations in bioceramics, with a particular focus on the commercially significant bioceramics: Alumina, ZTA, bioglass, HA/TCP, DLC, and Oxinium®

Prof. Andrew Ruys
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Materials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

Bioceramics
Alumina
Zirconia toughened alumina - ZTA
Bioglass - Bioactive glass
Hydroxyapatite - HA
Tricalcium phosphate - TCP
Diamond like carbon – DLC
Oxidised zirconium – Oxinium®
Titanium nitride – TiN
Hip replacement
Orthopaedics
Bionic feedthrough
Dental implant
Tissue scaffold
Tissue engineering

Published Papers (10 papers)

Download All Papers

Research

Jump to: Review

18 pages, 3861 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Precursor Deficiency Induced Ca/P Ratio on Antibacterial and Osteoblast Adhesion Properties of Ag-Incorporated Hydroxyapatite: Reducing Ag Toxicity

by Ozkan Gokcekaya, Celaletdin Ergun, Thomas J. Webster, Abdurrahman Bahadir, Kyosuke Ueda, Takayuki Narushima and Takayoshi Nakano

Materials 2021, 14(12), 3158; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma14123158 - 08 Jun 2021

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2310

Abstract

Ag-containing hydroxyapatite (HA) can reduce risks associated with bacterial infections which may eventually require additional surgical operations to retrieve a failed implant. The biological properties of HA in such applications are strongly affected by its composition in terms of dopants as well as Ca/P stoichiometry, which can be easily controlled by altering processing parameters, such as precursor concentrations. The objective of this in vitro study was to understand the effect of variations in HA precursor solutions on antibacterial properties against Escherichia coli (E. coli) and for promoting osteoblast (bone-forming cell) adhesion on Ag incorporated HA (AgHA) which has not yet been investigated. For this, two groups of AgHAs were synthesized via a precipitation method by adjusting precursor reactants with a stoichiometric value of 1.67, being either (Ca + Ag)/P (Ca-deficient) or Ca/(P + Ag) (P-deficient), and were characterized by XRD, FTIR, and SEM-EDS. Results showed that Ag⁺ incorporated into the Ca²⁺ sites was associated with a corresponding OH⁻ vacancy. Additional incorporation of CO₃²⁻ into PO₄³⁻ sites occurred specifically for the P-deficient AgHAs. While antibacterial properties increased, osteoblast adhesion decreased with increasing Ag content for the Ca-deficient AgHAs, as anticipated. In contrast, significant antibacterial properties with good osteoblast behavior were observed on the P-deficient AgHAs even with a lower Ag content, owing to carbonated HA. Thus, this showed that by synthesizing AgHA using P-deficient precursors with carbonate substitution, one can keep the antibacterial properties of Ag in HA while reducing its toxic effect on osteoblasts. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioceramics: Bioinert, Bioactive, and Coatings)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 6081 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Coating Density on Functional Properties of SiN_x Coated Implants

by Luimar Correa Filho, Susann Schmidt, Alejandro López, Mathilde Cogrel, Klaus Leifer, Håkan Engqvist, Hans Högberg and Cecilia Persson

Materials 2019, 12(20), 3370; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12203370 - 15 Oct 2019

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2655

Abstract

Ceramic coatings may be applied onto metallic components of joint replacements for improved wear and corrosion resistance as well as enhanced biocompatibility, especially for metal-sensitive patients. Silicon nitride (SiN_x) coatings have recently been developed for this purpose. To achieve a high coating density, necessary to secure a long-term performance, is however challenging, especially for sputter deposited SiN_x coatings, since these coatings are insulating. This study investigates the time-dependent performance of sputter-deposited SiN_x based coatings for joint applications. SiN_x coatings with a thickness in the range of 4.3–6.0 µm were deposited by reactive high power impulse magnetron sputtering onto flat discs as well as hip heads made of CoCrMo. SiN_x compositional analysis by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy showed N/Si ratios between 0.8 and 1.0. Immersion of the flat disks in fetal bovine serum solution over time as well as short-term wear tests against ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) discs showed that a high coating density is required to inhibit tribocorrosion. Coatings that performed best in terms of chemical stability were deposited using a higher target power and process heating. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioceramics: Bioinert, Bioactive, and Coatings)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

14 pages, 4092 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mechanical and Cytocompatibility Evaluation of UHMWPE/PCL/Bioglass^® Fibrous Composite for Acetabular Labrum Implant

by Adhi Anindyajati, Philip Boughton and Andrew J. Ruys

Materials 2019, 12(6), 916; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12060916 - 19 Mar 2019

Cited by 8 | Viewed by 2911

Abstract

In this study, a fibrous composite was developed as synthetic graft for labral reconstruction treatment, comprised of ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE) fabric, ultrafine fibre of polycaprolactone (PCL), and 45S5 Bioglass^®. This experiment aimed to examine the mechanical performance and cytocompatibility of the composite. Electrospinning and a slurry dipping technique were applied for composite fabrication. To assess the mechanical performance of UHMWPE, tensile cyclic loading test was carried out. Meanwhile, cytocompatibility of the composite on fibroblastic cells was examined through a viability assay, as well as SEM images to observe cell attachment and proliferation. The mechanical test showed that the UHMWPE fabric had a mean displacement of 1.038 mm after 600 cycles, approximately 4.5 times greater resistance compared to that of natural labrum, based on data obtained from literature. A viability assay demonstrated the predominant occupation of live cells on the material surface, suggesting that the composite was able to provide a viable environment for cell growth. Meanwhile, SEM images exhibited cell adhesion and the formation of cell colonies on the material surface. These results indicated that the UHMWPE/PCL/Bioglass^® composite could be a promising material for labrum implants. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioceramics: Bioinert, Bioactive, and Coatings)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

10 pages, 4215 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Use of the FEM to Identify the Optimal Groove Dimensions Ensuring the Least Stressed Connection between a Zirconia Coping and Veneering Ceramic

by Beata Śmielak, Leszek Klimek and Jacek Świniarski

Materials 2018, 11(12), 2360; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11122360 - 23 Nov 2018

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2243

Abstract

Background: To examine the influence of coping notches with varying groove widths and depths on the quality of the connection with ceramic. Methods: Ten rectangular sintered zirconia (3Y-TZP) samples were etched with a neodymium-yag laser Nd:YAG. Then, a profilometer was used to test the depths and spacing of the grooves. A notch profile was used to design the shapes and spacing of the grooves based on a finite element method (FEM) simulating zirconia. The following situations were simulated: an increase in groove width from 100% to 180% and depth from 40% and 80%; and a 40% depth and width. Results: An increase of 10% in the baseline width caused an insignificant reduction of the strain in the connection. A further increase in this dimension led to a 50% increase in strain with a 40% increase in width. An increase in the groove depth by 40% reduced the strain level by 13%, while an increase in the groove depth by 80% reduced the strain level by 22%. Simultaneous deepening and widening of the groove by 40% had no significant impact on the strain level. Conclusion: Maintaining the width of the groove bottom while increasing the depth offers fewer advantages than deepening and narrowing the groove bottom. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioceramics: Bioinert, Bioactive, and Coatings)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

14 pages, 2324 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Modification of the Ceramic Implant Surfaces from Zirconia by the Magnetron Sputtering of Different Calcium Phosphate Targets: A Comparative Study

by Anna I. Kozelskaya, Evgeny N. Bolbasov, Alexey S. Golovkin, Alexander I. Mishanin, Alice N. Viknianshchuk, Evgeny V. Shesterikov, Andrey Ashrafov, Vadim A. Novikov, Alexander Y. Fedotkin, Igor A. Khlusov and Sergey I. Tverdokhlebov

Materials 2018, 11(10), 1949; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11101949 - 11 Oct 2018

Cited by 14 | Viewed by 3141

Abstract

In this study, thin calcium phosphate (Ca-P) coatings were deposited on zirconia substrates by radiofrequency (RF) magnetron sputtering using different calcium phosphate targets (calcium phosphate tribasic (CPT), hydroxyapatite (HA), calcium phosphate monobasic, calcium phosphate dibasic dehydrate (DCPD) and calcium pyrophosphate (CPP) powders). The sputtering of calcium phosphate monobasic and DCPD powders was carried out without an inert gas in the self-sustaining plasma mode. The physico-chemical, mechanical and biological properties of the coatings were investigated. Cell adhesion on the coatings was examined using mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs). The CPT coating exhibited the best cell adherence among all the samples, including the uncoated zirconia substrate. The cells were spread uniformly over the surfaces of all samples. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioceramics: Bioinert, Bioactive, and Coatings)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

15 pages, 2540 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mineral Trioxide Aggregate Mixed with 5-Aminolevulinic Acid for the Photodynamic Antimicrobial Strategy in Hard Tissue Regeneration

by Yu-Fang Shen, Tsui-Hsien Huang, Hooi-Yee Ng, Hsin-Yuan Fang and Tuan-Ti Hsu

Materials 2018, 11(9), 1734; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11091734 - 14 Sep 2018

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3225

Abstract

Aminolevulinic acid (ALA) based photodynamic antimicrobial strategy can provide good antimicrobial effects and be used for medical applications. The aim of this study was to apply this strategy to Mineral Trioxide Aggregate (MTA), which is commonly used as a filling material for root endings and by doing so, to increase the bactericidal capability of MTA, as well as to investigate its characterization, cytocompatibility, and odontogenic differentiation potential. MTA is known to be a derivative of calcium silicate (CS). In this study, MTA specimens with or without ALA and light treatment were prepared. Diametral tensile strength values (DTS), setting durations, X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectra, apatite-mineralization, and antimicrobial abilities of the MTA, were also analyzed. Human dental pulp cells (hDPCs) can proliferate into the newly formed matrix and differentiate into odontoblasts to reinforce and strengthen the root. Levels of hDPCs proliferation and its odontogenic capabilities when cultured on MTA with ALA and light treatment, and the percentages of cells existing in the various cell cycle stages, were further evaluated in this study. The results indicated that MTA added ALA with light treatment had greater antibacterial ability and cytocompatibility, compared to MTA alone. A higher percentage S phase of the cells cultured on MTA added ALA with light treatment was observed. Furthermore, hDPCs cultured on MTA added ALA with light treatment had the highest expression levels of the odontoblastic differentiation markers. ALA has great antimicrobial efficiency and is a potential material for future medical applications. ALA-based photodynamic antibacterial strategy applied in the MTA has great antibacterial ability, cytocompatibility, and odontoblastic differentiation potential, and can facilitate the development of root canal treatment. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioceramics: Bioinert, Bioactive, and Coatings)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

18 pages, 4148 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Surface Modification of Calcium Silicate via Mussel-Inspired Polydopamine and Effective Adsorption of Extracellular Matrix to Promote Osteogenesis Differentiation for Bone Tissue Engineering

by Chia-Tze Kao, Yen-Jen Chen, Hooi-Yee Ng, Alvin Kai-Xing Lee, Tsui-Hsien Huang, Tz-Feng Lin and Tuan-Ti Hsu

Materials 2018, 11(9), 1664; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11091664 - 09 Sep 2018

Cited by 30 | Viewed by 4638

Abstract

Calcium silicate-based cement has garnered huge interest in recent years, due to its versatility and potential in mass fabrication of a variety of bioceramics. For this study, the main objective was to fabricate functionalized calcium silicate (CS) powder integrated with a simple bio-inspired surface modification using polydopamine (PDA), to regulate cellular behaviors such as cellular adhesion, and subsequently cell differentiation and proliferation. For this study, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) techniques were used to analyze the chemical compositions and observe the surface characteristics of our PDA coated CS cements. Such modifications were found to enhance Wharton Jelly’s mesenchymal stem cells (WJMSC) in various ways. Firstly, PDA-coated CS cements were found to significantly enhance cell adhesion with higher expressions of cell adhesion markers, such as focal adhesion kinase and integrins. This was further supported by morphology analysis of the cells. This enhanced cell adhesion, in turn, led to significantly higher secretion of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins, such as collagen I and fibronectin, which directly promoted cell attachments and proliferation. In our osteogenesis assays, it was found that secretion and expression of osteogenesis related genes and proteins were significantly higher and were dependent on the PDA content. Therefore, these results demonstrated that such simple bio-inspired modification techniques of synthetic degradable CS cements can be applied as a future modification, to modify and convert inert surfaces of synthetic bone grafts to enhance and modulate the cell behaviors of WJMSCs. This in turn can be used as a potential alternative for further bioengineering research. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioceramics: Bioinert, Bioactive, and Coatings)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

12 pages, 3257 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Facile Flow-Casting Production of Bioactive Glass Coatings on Porous Titanium for Bone Tissue Engineering

by Haiou Yang, Qijie Zhu, Hongfei Qi, Xianhu Liu, Meixia Ma and Qiang Chen

Materials 2018, 11(9), 1540; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11091540 - 27 Aug 2018

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3295

Abstract

Additive manufacturing enabled the fabrication of porous titanium (PT) with customized porosity and mechanical properties. However, functionalization of PT surfaces with bioactive coatings is being challenged due to sophisticated geometry and highly porous structure. In this study, a facile flow-casting technique was developed to produce homogeneous 45S5 bioactive glass (BG) coatings on the entire surface of PT. The coating weight as a function of BG concentration in a BG-PVA slurry was investigated to achieve controllable coating yield without blocking macropore structure. The annealing-treated BG coating not only exhibited compact adhesion confirmed by qualitative sonication treatment, but also enhanced the mechanical properties of PT scaffolds. Moreover, in-vitro assessments of BG-coated PT cultured with MC3T3-E1 cells was carried out having in mind their potential as bioactive bone implants. The experimental results in this study offer a simple and versatile approach for the bio-functionalization of PT and other porous biomedical devices. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioceramics: Bioinert, Bioactive, and Coatings)

► Show Figures

Graphical abstract

18 pages, 5644 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Smart Injectable Self-Setting Monetite Based Bioceramics for Orthopedic Applications

by Naresh Koju, Prabaha Sikder, Bipin Gaihre and Sarit B. Bhaduri

Materials 2018, 11(7), 1258; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma11071258 - 22 Jul 2018

Cited by 23 | Viewed by 6150

Abstract

The present study is the first of its kind dealing with the development of a specific bioceramic which qualifies as a potential material in hard-tissue replacements. Specifically, we report the synthesis and evaluation of smart injectable calcium phosphate bone cement (CPC) which we believe will be suitable for various kinds of orthopedic and spinal-fusion applications. The smart nature of this next generation orthopedic implant is attained by incorporating piezoelectric barium titanate (BT) particles into monetite-based (dicalcium phosphate anhydrous, DCPA) CPC composition. The main goal is to take advantage of the piezoelectric properties of BT, as electromechanical effect plays a vital role in fracture healing at the defect site and bone integration with the implant. Furthermore, radiopacity of BT would help in easy detection of the CPC presence at the fracture site during surgery. Results reveal that BT addition favors important properties of bone cement such as good compressive strength, injectability, bioactivity, biocompatibility, and even washout resistance. Most importantly, the self-setting nature of the bone cements are not compromised with BT incorporation. The in vitro results confirm that the developed bone-cement abides by the standard orthopedic requirements making it apt for real-time prosthetic materials. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioceramics: Bioinert, Bioactive, and Coatings)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

34 pages, 1601 KiB

Open AccessReview

Biocompatibility of Root Canal Sealers: A Systematic Review of In Vitro and In Vivo Studies

by Diogo Afonso Fonseca, Anabela Baptista Paula, Carlos Miguel Marto, Ana Coelho, Siri Paulo, José Pedro Martinho, Eunice Carrilho and Manuel Marques Ferreira

Materials 2019, 12(24), 4113; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma12244113 - 09 Dec 2019

Cited by 44 | Viewed by 5177

Abstract

(1) Aim: To perform a systematic review of the literature on the biocompatibility of root canal sealers that encompasses the various types of sealers that are commercially available as well as both in vitro and in vivo evidence. (2) Methods: This systematic review has been registered in PROSPERO (ID 140445) and was carried out according to PRISMA guidelines using the following databases: PubMed, Cochrane Library, ClinicalTrials.gov, Science Direct, and Web of Science Core Collection. Studies published between 2000 and 11 June 2019 that evaluated cytotoxicity (cell viability/proliferation) and biocompatibility (tissue response) of root canal sealers were included. (3) Results: From a total of 1249 studies, 73 in vitro and 21 in vivo studies were included. In general, studies suggest that root canal sealers elicit mild to severe toxic effects and that several factors may influence biocompatibility, e.g., material setting condition and time, material concentration, and type of exposure. Bioactive endodontic sealers seem to exhibit a lower toxic potential in vitro. (4) Conclusions: The available evidence shows that root canal sealers exhibit variable toxic potential at the cellular and tissue level. However, the methodological heterogeneity among studies included in this systematic review and the somewhat conflicting results do not allow a conclusion on which type of sealer presents higher biocompatibility. Further research is crucial to achieve a better understanding of the biological effects of root canal sealers. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Bioceramics: Bioinert, Bioactive, and Coatings)

► Show Figures

Figure 1

Journal Menu

Journal Browser

Bioceramics: Bioinert, Bioactive, and Coatings

Share This Special Issue

Special Issue Editor

Special Issue Information

Keywords

Published Papers (10 papers)

Research

Review

Further Information

Guidelines

MDPI Initiatives

Follow MDPI