In vitro Biocompatibility Evaluation of a Tantalum Carbide Nanolayer-Coated Ti-6Al-4V for Dental Implants

In the present study, tantalum carbide nanolayer with 500 nm thickness was coated on the Ti-6Al-4Vsurface by using physical vapor deposition technique with electron beam. The surface hardness of the modified samplessurface with tantalum carbide nanolayer (Ti-6Al-4V/Ta2C) compared to uncoated sample (Ti-6Al-4V). After coating,the surface hardness of the samples increased from 346 HV to 640 HV. Also, the corrosion test in Hank's solutionshowed that the corrosion current density of Ti-6Al-4V/ Ta2C decreased from 2 μA/cm2 vs. 1.5 μA/cm2 for uncoatedsample. In vitro and MTT assay showed that MG-67 osteoblast-like cells attached and spread on the samples surfaceand cells proliferated in greater numbers on Ti-6Al-4V/Ta2C surface compared to the uncoated sample. Finally, X-raydiffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and elemental analysis (EDXA) tests were carried out in orderto identify the phases, morphological assessment and percentage of elements in the samples, respectively. Therefore,results of this study show that tantalum carbide nanolayer- coated Ti-6Al-4V with good corrosion resistance andexcellent surface properties, is a good choice for use in dental implants.

Keywords:

Nanolayer , Tantalum carbide , Biocompatibility , Physical Vapor Deposition , CorrosionResistance