J. Am. Ceram. Soc., 90 [5] 1644–1646 (2007)
DOI: 10.1111/j.1551-2916.2007.01601.x
r 2007 The American Ceramic Society
Journal
Coupling of Phosphates on Alumina Surfaces for Bioactivation
Nadine Kaltenborn,w,z Michael Sax,y Frank A. Müller,z Lenka Müller,z Henning Dieker,J Arno Kaiser,w
Rainer Telle,w and Horst Fischerw,zz
w
Department of Ceramics and Refractory Materials, RWTH Aachen University, 52064 Aachen, Germany
z
Hermsdorfer Institut für Technische Keramik e. V., 07629 Hermsdorf, Germany
y
IBS, 49457 Drebber, Germany
z
Department of Materials Science (III) Biomaterials, University of Erlangen-Nuernberg, 91052 Erlangen, Germany
J
Department of Physics, I. Physikalisches Institut, RWTH Aachen University, 52064 Aachen, Germany
lematic aspect. Furthermore, different thermal expansion coefficients (coating vs. bulk material) promote mechanical stresses
in the interface and could finally cause spalling of the coated
material.7–10
In order to avoid the disadvantages of bioactive coatings, one
promising strategy is a bioactive modification of the implant
surface. A close interconnection between implant and bone
should be achieved by coupling functional groups like PO4 to
the ceramic surface. Here, we report on the phosphatization of
alumina surfaces as a suitable functionalization strategy.
This paper reports on a new surface treatment, coupling phosphates on alumina surfaces for bioactivation. Alumina samples
were treated in monoaluminumphosphate solution at 14001C.
Strongly coupled aluminum phosphates due to the treatment
were proved by X-ray diffraction and infrared spectroscopy.
Contact angle measurements proved the hydrophilic nature of
the treated surface. In vitro tests in simulated body fluid indicated a bioactive behavior by means of apatite-forming ability.
Such functionalized alumina ceramics imply the potential for a
new class of bioactive high-strength ceramic implant materials,
due to a pronounced affinity of bioactive phosphate groups to
particular amino acid sequences of proteins.
II. Experimental Procedure
Cylindrical samples with a diameter of 20 mm and a thickness of
3 mm were prepared by compacting spray-dried alumina granulate (CT3000 SG, purity: 99.8%, Alcoa, Pittsburgh, PA) using
a uniaxial pressure of 100 MPa. The green alumina bodies were
sintered at a temperature of 16501C and subsequently ground on
a diamond-charged rotary grinding machine (ATM, Aldenkirchen, Germany). The density of the fired and ground specimens was determined by the Archimedes principle. The alumina
samples were exposed to a monoaluminumphosphate solution
(FFB 705, Chemische Fabrik Budenheim, Budenheim, Germany) at pH 1, heated to 14001C, and slowly cooled down
again to room temperature. After heat treatment, the excess of
phosphate was removed and the alumina samples were ultrasonically cleaned in acetone. After drying at 901C, the pH values
of the samples in 100 mL aqua dest were measured (pH-meter
‘‘pH 530’’, WTW, Weilheim, Germany). Thus, pretreated alumina samples were analyzed by X-ray diffraction analysis
(XRD) (PW 3710, Philips, Eindhoven, the Netherlands), infrared spectroscopy (IFS 66-V, Bruker, Ettlingen), and scanning
electron microscopy (SEM) (Leo 440i, Carl Zeiss, Jena,
Germany). Additionally, tests in simulated body fluid (SBF)
and measurements of the contact angle were performed. Four
alumina samples were stored in SBF at 371C for 3 weeks. The
weight of the samples was measured before and after the treatment in simulated body fluid, respectively. SBF10 solutions were
prepared according to a procedure described elsewhere.11
I. Introduction
H
IGHLY pure alumina is used as a biomedical implant such as
dental prosthetic components and total joint replacements
due to its excellent biocompatibility and a minimum of wear
debris during dynamic in vivo loading.1–3 The bioinert characteristic of this oxidic ceramic material is advantageous for articulating joint components, but is disadvantageous for implant
components with direct bone tissue contact like monolithic acetabular sockets or all-ceramic dental implants where osseointegration is required. A limited number of monolithic alumina
acetabular sockets, implanted 20 years ago in patients, showed
an acceptable mean duration in vivo until revision.4 However,
high failure rates due to loosening of monolithic alumina sockets
clearly point out that the adhesion in terms of a bioactive osseointegration between an oxide ceramic surface and the bone
tissue needs to be improved.5,6
One possibility for a bioactivation of inert implant surfaces is
to coat them with a bioactive material like calcium phosphate
ceramics. These ceramics are described to activate cell attachment and osseointegration, leading to a tight interconnection
between bone tissue and implant surface. Using this strategy, a
combination of bioactivity at the surface and good mechanical
properties of the bulk material can be achieved. Nevertheless,
uncontrollable resorption dynamics of the coating are a prob-
D. Greenspan—contributing editor
III. Results and Discussion
Figure 1 shows the cross-sectional SEM-micrographs of a phosphatized alumina sample with a penetration depth of approximately 700 mm of the acidic monoaluminumphosphate solution
Manuscript No. 22477. Received November 10, 2006; approved January 11, 2007.
zz
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed. e-mail: h.fischer@rwthaachen.de
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May 2007
Communications of the American Ceramic Society
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Fig. 1. Scanning electron microscopy micrograph of an alumina surface treated with a 50% monoaluminumphosphate solution. (a) Lateral cut, (b)
detailed view of lateral cut at the surface layer, and (c) view on top of the specimen.
(Fig. 1(a)) and a top view of the same sample (Fig. 1(c)), where
the corrosive attack of the acid—the wash-out of grains (mean
grain size approximately 2–5 mm, Fig. 1(b)—is clearly visible.
Surface damages in terms of a porous microstructure are always
associated with a decrease in mechanical strength.12,13 This implies that phosphatization of the alumina surface may lower the
mechanical reliablility. However, a complete porous scaffold
was not generated by the treatment, but a graded porous surface
layer supported by a core of dense alumina. The core material
(determined density 3.89 g/cm3) was not affected by the treatment. The dense core material (that meets the requirements in
ISO 647614 for alumina implants regarding purity >99.5%),
will thereby strengthen the ceramic component with the functionalized porous surface layer. A subsequent study will analyze
the mechanical properties of the graded ceramic material in detail. From the biological point of view, the newly formed cancellous bone-like porosity at the surface should promote the
ingrowth of bone tissue into the surface of an implant that is
functionalized using the presented treatment. Moreover, formation of aluminum phosphate (AlPO4) was proved on the treated
materials by XRD analysis (Fig. 2). The curve in the infrared
plot (Fig. 3) represents the relative reflectivity of a treated sample compared with an untreated one. Any discrepancy in the
Fig. 2. X-ray diffraction plot of an alumina surface treated with monoaluminumphosphate solution at 14001C.
plotted curve from a horizontal line indicates differences between a treated and an untreated surface. The infrared spectrum
of the phosphatized alumina surface reveals a significant difference compared with the untreated alumina sample in the range
between 1000 and 1500 cm1 (Fig. 3). This vibration could be
attributed to the PO4 groups. The generated AlPO4 bindings are
neither soluble in water nor in alcohol. This is an evidence for a
strong chemical bonding, which is an important requirement for
the stability in vivo and during sterilization. The contact angle of
phosphatized alumina (351) was significantly lower compared
with untreated samples (911). This is more evidence for the
bioactivation of the oxidic ceramic surfaces as there is a direct
relationship between hydrophilic behavior and bioactivity.15,16
The pH value of the phosphatized alumina samples in 100 mL
aqua dest was 5.84, which is in a well-tolerable range for the
Fig. 3. Infrared spectrum of untreated versus treated alumina surface.
The curve is a function of the difference between the curves of a treated
and an untreated sample. This means any discrepancy in the plotted
curve from a horizontal line indicates differences between a treated and
an untreated surface.
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ramic acetabular sockets. In a next step of development, the
mechanical properties of such implant components that are
modified with the described porous and functionalized surface
layer need to be analyzed in detail.
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Fig. 4. Scanning electron microscopy micrograph of a phosphatized
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IV. Conclusions
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