Physical Vapor Deposited Biomedical Coatings

Dear Colleagues,

As research and development into medical devices reaches an all-time high, surface functionalisation through less invasive, low dimensional thin-film coatings is at the forefront of optimising bio-integration, bioactivation, and biomechanics. In the last decades, physical vapour deposition (PVD) technologies such as magnetron sputtering, evaporation, pulsed laser deposition, etc. have gained attraction for their diverse capabilities in blending and manufacturing highly adhesive, novel materials with minimally invasive thicknesses from angstroms to the micron scale. Medical devices of all kinds benefit from functional surface layers, including but not limited to lubricating coatings on wear-prone load-bearing implants, antimicrobial layers, wound dressings, bioresorbable smart pills, angiogenic surfaces, cardiovascular stents, or biomimetic orthopaedic integration layers. PVD modified implant surfaces benefit from enhanced bioactivity, leading to advantageous cell–surface interactions to assist in regenerating tissue.

It has long been the opinion of the industrial community that technologies based on thermal spray technologies (e.g., plasma spray, flame spray, detonation spray, cold spray, high-velocity atmospheric spray, high-velocity oxy-fuel spray, and high-velocity suspension flame spraying) and solution-based methods (e.g., sol–gel, solution castings) provide high through-put capabilities and low start-up costs suitable for commercial scale manufacturing. However, as the precision, versatility, scale, and accessibility of standardised PVD systems grows, the medical device industry will seek mature materials research for the next generation of functional layers with long-term reliability and high success rates.

This Special Issue will endeavour to present current and progressive research into PVD technologies applied to medical coatings with a distinct emphasis on the following scopes:

• Medical devices based on sputtering, induction/thermal/e-beam evaporation, cathodic arc deposition, pulsed laser/electron beam deposition or other vapour deposition techniques;
• Glasses and ceramics (bioactive, bioresorbable and wear-resistant coatings in orthopaedics, muscular and cardio-vascular applications);
• Surface functionalisation using vapour deposition sources, including e-beam treatment or plasma treatment;
• Mechanical and materials characterisation of PVD layers. Recent progression in methodologies and next generation testing standards;
• PVD scale-up towards commercial manufacturing and coating applied to additive manufactured components and porous structures;
• In vitro and in vivo studies of coated implant materials from polymers, metals and ceramics;
• Modelling and/or theoretical understanding of atomic interactions fundamental to PVD processing as applied to deposition of medical coatings;
• Presentation of experimental methodologies in thin-film composites via material blends or multilayers.

Dr. George E Stan
Dr. Bryan W. Stuart
Guest Editors

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