Aleš Matoušek

Influence of Nanograin Size ZrO2 and Al2O3 Ceramics on Biological Response of Cells

The influence of the grain size of alumina and zirconia ceramics on the spreading and adhesion of MG63 cell lines was investigated. Single-component ceramics and layered composite ceramics were prepared by electrophoretic deposition, uniaxial pressing and sintering. The grain size of zirconia was 100 nm to 2.7 μm and that of alumina was 0.5 μm to 1.5 μm. Subsequently, sample surfaces were polished and thermally etched. Biological tests of adhesion (0.5 to 8 h) were used to evaluate the influence of grain size on biological response. The highest cell spreading was obtained for ZrO2 ceramics with an average grain size of 100 and 120 nm. The cell selection was observed on layered ZrO2/Al2O3 composites. The cells predominantly adhered to ZrO2 layers. The results showed a positive influence of nanostructured ceramic surfaces on biological behaviour of MG63 cells.