Abstract

Good biological properties for titanium implants will shorten the treatment cycle and improve patient comfort, which are also the main goals of dentistry and orthopaedics. At present, the biological properties of titanium implants are mainly enhanced in two aspects: their surface chemistry and surface morphology. In this study, a surface modification strategy combining bioactive trace elements with surface micromorphology modification was used to enhance the biological properties of pure titanium. A new coating incorporating silicon micropore/microsphere topography was prepared on a titanium plate by micro-arc oxidation (MAO) technology. The properties of the coating and its effects on the adhesion and osteogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) were further analyzed. The experimental results show that a coating doped with amorphous silicon with micropore/microsphere topography was incorporated onto the titanium surface and the surface roughness in the treated groups was obviously higher than that in the Ti group. In vitro, the presence of a silicon-incorporating coating with a micropore/microsphere topography on the titanium surface significantly enhanced the initial adhesion, proliferation and osteogenic differentiation of BMSCs. These results indicate that the silicon-incorporating coating with micropore/microsphere topography has potential applications in dentistry and orthopaedics.