Surface characterization of alkali- and heat-treated Ti with or without prior acid etching

Titanium and its alloys are used as implant materials in dental and orthopaedic applications. The material affinities to host bone tissue greatly concern with the recovery period and good prognosis. To obtain a material surface having excellent affinity to bone, acid etching prior to alkali- and heat-treatment of Ti was conducted. The surface characteristics of the prepared sample indicated that the roughness as well as the wettability increased by pre-etching. Bone-like apatite was formed on pre-etched, alkali- and heat-treated Ti surface in simulated body fluid (SBF) within 3 days, while it takes 5 days on the solely alkali- and heat-treated surface. Osteoblastic cells showed better compatibility on the per-etched surface compared to the pure Ti surface or alkali- and heat-treated surface. Moreover, the pre-etched surface showed better pull-off tensile adhesion strength against the deposited apatite. Thus, acid etching prior to alkali- and heat-treatment would be a promising method for enhancing the affinity of Ti to host bone tissue. (C) 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.