Björn-Owe Aronsson

Crystallographic properties and mechanical behaviour of titanium hydride layers grown on titanium implants

Commercially pure titanium for bone-anchored dental implants, subjected to a sand-blasting and acid-etching surface treatment, has been mechanically tested and analysed by scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy observations. A fcc titanium hydride layer grows on the polycrystalline titanium substrate with various epitaxial relationships, whose grains also show epitaxial relationships with each other. Indentations, flexion tests and dislocation analyses indicate that this hydride layer can be plastically deformed.

A Novel Multi-Phosphonate Surface Treatment of Titanium Dental Implants: A Study in Sheep

The aim of the present study was to evaluate a new multi-phosphonate surface treatment (SurfLink®) in an unloaded sheep model. Treated implants were compared to control implants in terms of bone to implant contact (BIC), bone formation, and biomechanical stability. The study used two types of implants (rough or machined surface finish) each with either the multi-phosphonate Wet or Dry treatment or no treatment (control) for a total of six groups. Animals were sacrificed after 2, 8, and 52 weeks. No adverse events were observed at any time point. At two weeks, removal torque showed significantly higher values for the multi-phosphonate treated rough surface (+32% and +29%, Dry and Wet, respectively) compared to rough control. At 52 weeks, a significantly higher removal torque was observed for the multi-phosphonate treated machined surfaces (+37% and 23%, Dry and Wet, respectively). The multi-phosphonate treated groups showed a positive tendency for higher BIC with time and increased new-old bone ratio at eight weeks. SEM images revealed greater amounts of organic materials on the multi-phosphonate treated compared to control implants, with the bone fracture (from the torque test) appearing within the bone rather than at the bone to implant interface as it occurred for control implants.

Surface Localization of Alloy Phases Using Electrostatic Force Microscopy

Surface composition of the Nb‐Nb3Sn‐CuSn composite material was imaged using Electrostatic Force Microscopy (EFM). Differences in work‐function were measured by spectroscopy for the various surface alloy phases. By measuring simultaneously the Surface Contact Potential (SCP) and the Capacitance Gradient (CG) under the tip, artifacts in surface potential images arising from capacitive coupling with topography were observed. Finally the chemical contrast was compared to the one obtained in Lateral Force Microscopy and in Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM).