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A well designed coating for polyetheretherketone (PEEK) implants can provide enough support to overcome crucial medical challenges, which are insufficient osseointegration and high rate of infection. Herein, we utilize the co-deposition of polydopamine (PDA) and copper-citrate nanoclusters to construct a pH-responsive coating on porous PEEK for synergistic bone regeneration, vascular formation and anti-infection. Specifically, this PDA coating released high dose of copper and citrate at lower pH value, which increased intracellular copper content, boosted production of reactive oxygen species and severe damage of protein, leading to killing of 93 % planktonic bacterial and eradication of adherent bacteria. At pH of 7.4, the release of copper and citrate were in a slow and sustained behavior, synergistically enhanced vascular formation potential and osteodiffereration of Ad-MSC in vitro. After implanted in rabbit tibia for 6 and 12 weeks, the micro-CT evaluation and histological analysis consistently highlighted the ability of this PDA coating to increase new bone formation adjacent to coated PEEK implant and enhance bone-implant interfacial integration. These results were proven to be related to the synergistic effect that citrate facilitated a 2-fold influx of copper into cells, which not only enhanced the bacteria-killing ability but also encouraged bone regeneration of implants. This present work provides an effective method to control infections while promoting osseointegration simultaneously, which will show tremendous clinical application and can be a solution to current challenges facing orthopedics.

Pathogens pose a serious challenge to environmental sanitation and a threat to public health. The frequent use of chemicals for sterilization in recent years has not only caused secondary damage to the environment but also increased pathogen resistance to drugs, which further threatens public health. To address this issue, the use of non-chemical antibacterial means has become a new trend for environmental disinfection. In this study, we developed red phosphorus nanoparticles (RPNPs), a safe and degradable photosensitive material with good photocatalytic and photothermal properties. The red phosphorus nanoparticles were prepared using a template method and ultrasonication. Under the irradiation of simulated sunlight for 20 min, the RPNPs exhibited an efficiency of 99.98 % in killing Staphylococcus aureus due to their excellent photocatalytic and photothermal abilities. Transmission electron microscopy and ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy revealed that the RPNPs exhibited degradability within eight weeks. Both the RPNPs and their degradation products were nontoxic to fibroblast cells. Therefore, such RPNPs are expected to be used as a new type of low-cost, efficient, degradable, biocompatible, and eco-friendly photosensitive material for environmental disinfection.

A new type of Mg-Zn-Y-Nd alloy for degradable orthopedic implants was developed. In the present study, the Zn and Y content was adjusted and their influences on the microstructures and mechanical behaviors were discussed in depth. The results showed that the as-extruded Mg-Zn-Y-Nd alloys are mainly composed of fine dynamic recrystallized grains (DRXed grains), large unDRXed grains and linearly distributed secondary phases. The change of Zn content exerts little influence on the grain structure of the extruded Mg-Zn-Y-Nd alloy, while the increase of Y content would hinder the dynamic recrystallization process and the growth of the DRXed grains, thus the size and volume fraction of the equiaxed DRXed grains decrease. The tensile and compressive properties are very little affected by Zn content because of the similar grain structure. As Y content increases, the tensile yield strength (TYS) and ultimate strength (TUS) increase while the elongation decreases, this is caused by a combined strengthening effect of grain refinement, texture, precipitation and twinning. The compressive yield strength (CYS) and ultimate strength (CUS) of Mg-Zn-Y-Nd alloy with different Y content exhibit a similar tendency as the tensile test.

The abuse of antibiotics is leading to the emergence of resistant bacteria. In this work, a drug-free composite of ZnO/CDots/g-C3N4 with Z-scheme heterojunction was developed, which was employed to kill bacteria effectively within a very short time under the irradiation of visible light due to the enhanced photocatalytic and photothermal effects. In this system, the CDots acted as a bridge between g-C3N4 and ZnO, effectively inhibiting the recombination of photo-generated electrons with holes and consequently enhancing the photocatalytic properties. In addition, CDots endowed the system with excellent photothermal effects. As a result, the antibacterial efficacy of ZnO/CDots/g-C3N4 composite against S. aureus and E. coli reached up to 99.97 % and 99.99 % respectively, after 15 min of visible light irradiation, due to the synergistic action of photo-inspired radical oxygen species and hyperthermia. The Zn ions released from the composite promoted the growth of fibroblasts, which accelerated the wound healing process.

Organic coatings are the most widely employed approach for the promotion of corrosion resistance of magnesium (Mg) alloys. Unfortunately, traditional organic coatings are weakly bonded to Mg substrates due to physical adsorption. Herein, a polyethylacrylate (PEA) coating was fabricated on Mg-Zn-Y-Nd alloy via electro-grafting. The surface structure and chemical composition were characterized by means of scanning electron microscope (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), atomic force microscope (AFM) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) as well as time of flight-secondary ion mass spectrometer (ToF-SIMS). The results showed that the surface roughness of PEA coating was dominated by scan rate; while the coverage and integrity of PEA coating were mainly affected by the monomer concentration and sweep circles. ToF-SIMS results indicated that PEA coating was wholly covered on Mg alloy, and the presence of C2H3Mg− fragment confirmed the covalent bond between PEA coating and Mg alloy. In addition, DFT calculation results of the adsorption of EA molecules with Mg substrate agree well with the experimental phenomena and observation, suggesting that the electrons in 3 s orbit of Mg atoms and 2pz orbit of C1 atom participated in the formation of covalent bond between PEA coating and Mg substrate. Potentiodynamic polarization curves and immersion test demonstrated that the PEA coatings could effectively enhance the corrosion resistance of Mg alloy. The platelet adhesion results designated that platelets were barely visible on PEA coating, which implied that PEA coating could effectively prevent the thrombosis and coagulation of platelets. PEA coating might be a promising candidate coating of Mg alloy for cardiovascular stent.

The performance of biodegradable magnesium alloy requires special attention to rapid degradation and poor biocompatibility, which can cause the implant to fail. Here, a sodium montmorillonite (MMT)/bovine serum albumin (BSA) composite coating was prepared upon magnesium alloy AZ31 via hydrothermal synthesis, followed by dip coating. We evaluated the surface characterization and corrosion behavior in vitro, and the biocompatibility in vitro and in vivo. Biodegradation progress of the MMT-BSA coated Mg pieces was examined through hydrogen evolution, immersion tests, and electrochemical measurements in Hank’s solution. In vitro biocompatibility studies were evaluated via hemolysis tests, dynamic cruor time tests, platelet adhesion, MTT testing and live-dead stain of osteoblast cells (MC3T3-E1). It was found that the MMT-BSA coating had good corrosion resistance and a marked improvement in biocompatibility in comparison to bare Mg alloy AZ31. in vivo studies were carried out in rat model and the degradation was characterized by computed tomography scans. Results revealed that the MMT-BSA coated Mg alloy AZ31 implants maintained their structural integrity and slight degradation after 120 d of post-implantation. A 100% survival rate for the rats was observed with no obvious toxic damages on the organs and tissues. Additionally, we proposed a sound coating formation mechanism. Considering the good corrosion protection and biocompatibility, the MMT-BSA coated Mg alloy AZ31 is a promising candidate material for biomedical implants.

Biodegradable magnesium (Mg) has garnered attention for its use in orthopaedic implants due to mechanical properties that closely match to those of bone. Studies have been undertaken to understand the corrosion behaviour of these materials and their effects on bone forming cells. However, there is lack of research on how the corrosion of these biomaterials affect surrounding tissues such as skeletal muscle. Mg plays an important role in the structural and functional properties of skeletal muscle. It is therefore important to investigate the response of skeletal muscle cells to both soluble (Mg ions) and insoluble (corrosion granules) corrosion products. Through in vitro studies it is possible to observe the effects of corrosion products on myotube formation by the fusion of single muscle precursor cells known as myoblasts. To achieve this goal, it is important to determine if these corrosion products are toxic to myotubes. Here it was noted that although there was a slight decrement in cellular viability after initial exposure, this soon recovered to control levels. A high Ca/Mg ratio resulted in the formation of large myotubes and a low Ca/Mg ratio negatively affected myotube maturation. Mg2+ and Ca2+ ions are important in the process of myogenesis, and the concentration of these ions and the ratio of the ions to each other played a significant role in myotube cellular activity. The outcomes of this study could pave the way to a bio-informed and integrated approach to the design and engineering of Mg-based orthopaedic implants.

TiNi alloys, with their unique shape memory effects and super elastic properties, occupy an indispensable place in the family of metallic biomaterials. In the past years, surface treatment is the main technique to improve the bioinert nature of microcrystalline TiNi alloys and inhibit on the release of toxic nickel ions to obtain excellent osteogenesis and osseointegration function. In the present study, nanocrystalline Ti49.2Ni50.8 alloy has been fabricated via equal channel angular pressing (ECAP), and the in vitro and in vivo studies revealed that it had enhanced cell viability, adhesion, proliferation, ALP (Alkaline phosphatase) activity and mineralization, and increased periphery thickness of new bone, in comparison to the commercial coarse-grained counterpart. These findings indicate that the reduction of grain size is beneficial to increasing the biocompatibility of Ti49.2Ni50.8 shape memory alloy.

In this study, biodegradable pure zinc wires with 3.0 mm and 0.3 mm in diameter were prepared via hot-extrusion and subsequent cold-drawing process respectively. The microstructure, mechanical performance, corrosion behavior, in vitro cytocompatibility and antibacterial effect were comparatively studied. After cold-drawing, the mechanical property, especially the elongation of the ф0.3 mm pure Zn wire was improved significantly compared with the ф3.0 mm pure Zn wire. The in vitro corrosion study including immersion and electrochemical test showed acceptable corrosion resistance of these two materials in Hank’s solution. The in vitro Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVECs) viability assay showed obviously different results, in which the ф0.3 mm pure Zn wire demonstrated favorable cytocompatibility, while the ф3.0 mm wire exhibited severe cytotoxic effect with 100% extract concentration. Both of them exhibited partly antibacterial effect on S. aureus. These results demonstrated the feasibility of the prepared 0.3 mm pure Zn wire as the potential suture material with good absorbability.

Magnesium alloys have shown great potential for their use in the medical device field, due to the promising biodegradability. However, it remains a challenge to characterize the degradation behavior of the Mg alloys in a quantitative manner. As such, controlling the degradation rate of the Mg alloys as per our needs is still hard, which greatly limits the practical application of the Mg alloys as a degradable biomaterial. This paper discussed a numerical model developed based on the diffusion theory, which can capture the experimental degradation behavior of the Mg alloys precisely. The numerical model is then implemented into a finite element scheme, where the model is calibrated with the data from our previous studies on the corrosion of the as-cast Mg-1Ca and the as-rolled Mg-3Ge binary alloys. The degradation behavior of a pin implant is predicted using the calibrated model to demonstrate the model’s capability. A standard flow is provided in a practical framework for obtaining the degradation behavior of any biomedical Mg alloys. This methodology was further verified via the comparison with enormous available experimental results. Lastly, the material parameters defined in this model were provided as a new kind of material property.

The Mg-Zn-Y-Nd alloy is a new type of degradable material for biomedical application. In the present study, Mg-6Zn-1.2Y-0.8Nd alloy was fabricated, and then extrusion and heat treatment were conducted to optimize its mechanical properties and cytocompatibility. The microstructure observation, mechanical property, degradation behavior and cytocompatibility tests were conducted on the Mg-Zn-Y-Nd alloy with three different states: as-cast (alloy C), as-extruded (alloy E) and extruded + heat treated (alloy EH). The results show that alloy C consists of coarse grains and continuous secondary phases. The extrusion process has caused incomplete recrystallization, and results in a mixed grain structure of elongated grains and small equiaxed grains (alloy E). The heat treatment process has promoted the recrystallization and homogenized the grain structure (alloy EH). Both the strength and ductility of the alloy has been improved by extrusion, but the following heat treatment has decreased the strength and increased the ductility. The degradation behavior of the alloy C and E alloys does not show much difference, but improves slightly in alloy EH, because the heat treatment has homogenized the microstructure and released the residual stress in the alloy. The directly and indirectly cell viability tests indicate that alloy EH exhibits the best cytocompatibility, which should be ascribed to its relative uniform degradation and low ion releasing rate. In summary, the combination of hot extrusion and heat treatment could optimize the mechanical property and cytocompatibility of the Mg-Zn-Y-Nd alloy together, which is beneficial for the future application of the alloy.

The Ni-based K417G superalloy is extensively applied as aeroengine components for its low cost and good mid-temperature (600–900 °C) properties. Since used in as-cast state, the comprehensive understanding on its mechanical properties and microstructure evolution is necessary. In the present research, the tensile, creep behavior and microstructure evolution of the as-cast K417G superalloy under different conditions were investigated. The results exhibit that tensile cracks tend to initiate at MC carbide and γ/γ′ eutectic structure and then propagate along grain boundary. As the temperature for tensile tests increases from 21 °C to 700 °C, the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of K417G superalloy decreases slightly, while the elongation to failure decreases greatly because of the intermediate temperature embrittlement. When the temperature rises to 900 °C, the yield strength and ultimate tensile strength would decrease significantly. The creep deformation mechanism varies under different testing conditions. At 760 °C/645 MPa, the creep cracks initiate at MC carbides and γ/γ′ eutectic structures, and propagate transgranularly. While at 900 °C/315 MPa and 950 °C/235 MPa, the creep cracks initiate at grain boundary and propagate intergranularly. As the creep condition changes from 760 °C/645 MPa to 900 °C/315 MPa and 950 °C/235 MPa, the γ′ phase starts to raft, which reduces the creep deformation resistance and increases the steady-state deformation rate.

The advent of three-dimensional (3-D) printed technique provides great possibility in the fabrication of customized porous titanium (Ti) implant. However, the bioinert property of the printed Ti poses an outstanding problem. Hybrid micro-arc oxidation and hydrothermal (MAO–HT) treatment on porous metals is able to produce multi-scaled hierarchical orthopedic implant, showing great potential for surface modification of 3-D printed implant. In this study, cylindrical porous Ti6Al4V (Ti64) scaffolds with pore size of 640 µm, porosity of 73% were 3-D printed by electron beam melting process, and their surfaces were left untreated or treated by a combined MAO–HT procedure. In vitro bioactivity was tested by immersion in simulated body fluid for different time points. Then, 12 scaffolds in each group were implanted into the femoral condyles of New Zealand rabbit for 8 weeks. Osseointegration was evaluated by qualitative and quantitative histological analysis, and the bone ingrowth features were probed by sequential fluorescent labeling at 3 and 6 weeks post-surgery. Following the MAO–HT treatment, the porous Ti64 scaffold was endowed with multi-scaled micro/nano-topographies and high amounts of CaP on its surface. The treated scaffold exhibited drastically enhanced apatite forming ability compared with the untreated one. In vivo test revealed significantly that a higher amount of bone ingrowth and bone implant contact at the treated scaffold. The 2 types of scaffolds had different patterns of bone ingrowth: the treated scaffold exhibited a pattern of contact osteogenesis, by which bone formed directly on the treated implant surface, whereas bone formed distal to the implant surface of the untreated scaffold. MAO–HT treatment can significantly enhance the in vitro apatite-inducing ability and in vivo osseointegration capacity of 3-D porous Ti64 scaffold and may provide as a viable approach for the fabrication of bioactive 3-D printed porous implant for orthopedic applications.

In this work, three widely used commercial Zn alloys (ZA4-1, ZA4-3, ZA6-1) were purchased and prepared by hot extrusion at 200 °C. The microstructure, mechanical properties, corrosion behaviors, biocompatibility and hemocompatibility of Zn alloys were studied with pure Zn as control. Commercial Zn alloys demonstrated increased strength and superb elongation compared with pure Zn. Accelerated corrosion rates and uniform corrosion morphologies were observed in terms of commercial Zn alloys due to galvanic effects between Zn matrix and α-Al phases. 100% extracts of ZA4-1 and ZA6-1 alloys showed mild cytotoxicity while 50% extracts of all samples displayed good biocompatibility. Retardant cell cycle and inhibited stress fibers expression were observed induced by high concentration of Zn2+ releasing during corrosion. The hemolysis ratios of Zn alloys were lower than 1% while the adhered platelets showed slightly activated morphologies. In general, commercial Zn alloys possess promising mechanical properties, appropriate corrosion rates, significantly improved biocompatibility and good hemocompatibility in comparison to pure Zn. It is feasible to develop biodegradable metals based on commercial Zn alloys.

The microstructure evolution and mechanical properties of biodegradable Mg–3Sn–1Zn–0.5Mn alloys were investigated by the optical microscopy, X-ray diffractometer and a universal material testing machine. The corrosion and degradation behaviors were studied by potentiodynamic polarization method and immersion test in a simulated body fluid (SBF). It was found that the as-extruded Mg–3Sn–1Zn–0.5Mn alloy has the fine equiaxed grains which underwent complete dynamic recrystallization during the hot extrusion process, with the second phase particles of Mg2Sn precipitated on the grain boundaries and inside the grains. The tensile strength and elongation of as-extruded Mg–3Sn–1Zn–0.5Mn alloys were 244 ± 3.7 MPa and 19.3% ± 1.7%, respectively. The potentiodynamic polarization curves in SBF solution indicated the better corrosion resistance of the as-extruded Mg–3Sn–1Zn–0.5Mn alloy in the SBF solution. Immersion test in the SBF solution for 720 h revealed that the corrosion rate of as-extruded Mg–3Sn–1Zn–0.5Mn alloy was nearly 4 ± 0.33 mm/year. The hemolysis rate of as-extruded Mg–3Sn–1Zn–0.5Mn alloy was lower than the safe value of 5% according to ISO 10993-4. As-extruded Mg–3Sn–1Zn–0.5Mn alloy showed good biocompatibility after being implanted into the dorsal muscle and the femoral shaft of the rabbit, and no abnormalities were found after short-term implantation. It was revealed that the as-extruded Mg–3Sn–1Zn–0.5Mn alloy is a promising material for biodegradable implants, which possesses an interesting combination of preferred mechanical properties, better corrosion resistance and biocompatibility.

The grain boundary microstructures of a heat-treated Ni-based cast superalloy IN792 were investigated. The results show that M5B3 boride precipitates at the grain boundary. A special orientation relationship between M5B3 phase and the matrix at one side of the grain boundary is found. At the same time, two M5B3 borides with different orientations could co-exist in a single M5B3 particle as an intergrowth besides existing alone, thus forming orientation relationship between the two M5B3 phases and matrix. This phenomenon could be attributed to the special orientation relationship between M5B3 phase and the matrix.

Most related investigations focused on the effects of borate glass on cell proliferation/biocompatibility in vitro or bone repair in vivo; however, very few researches were carried out on other cell behaviors. Three novel borate bioglasses were designed as scaffolds for bone regeneration in this wok. Comparative effects of three bioglasses on the behaviors of osteoblastic MC3T3-E1 cells were evaluated. Excellent cytocompatibility of these novel borate bioglasses were approved in this work. Meanwhile, the promotion on cell proliferation, protein secretion and migration with minor cell apoptosis were also discussed in details, which contributed to the potential clinical application as a new biomaterial for orthopedics.

The mechanical properties, chemical properties and biocompatibility of Mg–3Sn–0.5Mn alloy were tested. A series of in vitro evaluations such as tensile test, static and dynamic immersion test, hemocompatibility test as well as cytotoxicity test were presented, with commercial magnesium alloy WE43 as the control. Mg–3Sn–0.5Mn alloy possesses suitable strength and superior ductility compared with WE43 and AZ31. Static immersion and dynamic degradation tests showed more uniform degradation with a more moderate rate for Mg–3Sn–0.5Mn alloy (0.34 mm/y in static condition and 0.25 mm/y in dynamic condition) compared with WE43 alloy (0.42 mm/y in static condition and 0.33 mm/y in dynamic condition) in Hank's solution. Blood compatibility evaluation suggested that Mg–3Sn–0.5Mn alloy had no destructive effect on erythrocyte and showed excellent anti-thrombogenicity to blood system. Besides, Mg–3Sn–0.5Mn alloy showed no inhibition effect to L929 metabolic activity and mild toxicity to vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) in preliminary cell viability assessment. By considering its excellent mechanical strength, corrosion resistance, low ion release rate and good biocompatibility, Mg–3Sn–0.5Mn alloy may be a promising economical candidate as biomedical implant material for load-bearing clinical applications in the future.

Nb and Sn are major alloying elements in Zr alloys. In this study, the microstructure, mechanical properties, corrosion behavior, cytocompatibility and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compatibility of Zr–2.5X (X = Nb, Sn) alloys for biomedical application are comparatively investigated. It is found that Zr–2.5Nb alloy has a duplex structure of α and β phase and Zr–2.5Sn alloy is composed of α phase. Both separate addition of Nb and Sn can strengthen Zr but Nb is more effective in strengthening Zr than Sn. The studied Zr–2.5X (X = Nb, Sn) alloys show improved corrosion resistance compared to pure Zr as indicted by the decreased corrosion current density. The alloying addition of Nb enhances the pitting resistance of Zr, whereas the addition of Sn decreases the pitting resistance of Zr. The extracts of Zr–2.5X alloys produce no significant deleterious effect on fibroblast cells (L-929) and osteoblast-like cells (MG 63), indicating good in vitro cytocompatibility. The Zr–2.5X (X = Nb, Sn) alloys show decreased magnetic susceptibility compared to pure Zr and their magnetic susceptibility is far lower than that of pure Ti and Ti–6Al–4V alloy. Based on these facts, Zr–2.5Nb alloy is more suitable for implant material than Zr–2.5Sn alloy. Sn is not suitable as individual alloying addition for Zr because Sn addition decreases the pitting resistance in physiological solution.

Five pure metals including Fe, Mn, Mg, Zn and W have been investigated on their corrosion behavior and in vitro biocompatibility by electrochemical measurement, static immersion test, contact angle measurement, cytotoxicity and hemocompatibility tests. It is found that the sequence of corrosion rate of five metals in Hank's solution from high to low is: Mg > Fe > Zn > Mn > W. Fe, Mg and W show no cytotoxicity to L929 and ECV304 cells, Mn induces significant cytotoxicity to both L929 and ECV304 cells, and Zn has almost no inhibition effect on the metabolic activities of ECV304 while largely reduces the cell viability of L929 cells. The hemolysis percentage of five pure metals is lower than 5% except for Mg and platelets adhered on Zn has been activated and pseudopodia-like structures can be observed while platelets on the other four metals keep normal.

AZ31 magnesium alloy fibers reinforced poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) composites were prepared and their mechanical property, immersion corrosion behavior and biocompatibility were studied. The tensile test showed that with the addition of AZ31 fibers, the composites had a significant increment in tensile strength and elongation. For the direct cell attachment test, all the cells showed a healthy morphology and spread well on the experimental sample surfaces. The immersion results indicated that pH values of the immersion medium increased with increasing AZ31 fiber contents. All the in vitro experimental results indicated that this new kind of magnesium alloy fibers reinforced PLGA composites show a potential for future biomedical applications.

There is an increasing interest in the development of magnesium alloys both for industrial and biomedical applications. Industrial interest in magnesium alloys is based on strong demand of weight reduction of transportation vehicles for better fuel efficiency, so higher strength, and better ductility and corrosion resistance are required. Nevertheless, biomedical magnesium alloys require appropriate mechanical properties, suitable degradation rate in physiological environment, and what is most important, biosafety to human body. Rather than simply apply commercial magnesium alloys to biomedical field, new alloys should be designed from the point of view of nutriology and toxicology. This article provides a review of state-of-the-art of magnesium alloy implants and devices for orthopedic, cardiovascular and tissue engineering applications. Advances in new alloy design, novel structure design and surface modification are overviewed. The factors that influence the corrosion behavior of magnesium alloys are discussed and the strategy in the future development of biomedical magnesium alloys is proposed.

Porous sintered Ti–Ag compacts with different Ag content were fabricated by powder metallurgy. The associated hydrothermal treatment and the effect on the apatite formation were studied. The results suggested that TiO was generated under the condition of low vacuum (1 × 10−2 Pa) during the process of burning out the spacer-holding particles. After hydrothermal treatment, a sub-microscale porous layer was formed at the pore wall surface of the samples. The apatite-inducing ability of hydrothermal treated porous sintered Ti–Ag compacts with different Ag content was evaluated in modified simulated body fluid (SBF). And the results proved that there is a clear correlation between the apatite-inducing ability and Ag content. The higher Ag content in porous leads to the decrease of Na+ ions and basic hydroxyl (OH)b amount, resulting in the decline of apatite-inducing ability in the first stage. However, their apatite-inducing ability was not significantly different from that of Ti after two weeks SBF immersing. Hence, the ionic activity should restore with the processing of SBF soaking, as the saturation of Ag effect.

In this study, the surface passive films, dissolution behavior and biocompatibility of Ti-Ag alloys (with 5%, 10% and 20% Ag) were evaluated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) tests, electrochemical corrosion tests, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) tests, dissolution tests and in-vitro cytotoxicity tests. The surface films on the Ti-20Ag alloy are rich in Ti and much deficient in Ag with respect to alloy composition, as identified by XPS. Compared to CP Ti, Ti-5Ag and Ti-20Ag alloys show larger impedances and lower capacitances, which can be associated with an increase of the passive layer thickness. Moreover, all Ti-Ag alloys exhibit negligible or low metal release in the test solutions. The in-vitro cytotoxicity results show Ti-Ag alloys seem to be as cytocompatible as CP Ti. From the viewpoint of surface passive film and cytotoxicity, Ti-5Ag and Ti-20Ag are considered to be more suitable for dental applications.