Regenerating titanium ventricular assist device surfaces after gold/palladium coating for scanning electron...

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Science
• Surface Chemistry
• Microscopy Techniques

Background:

• Titanium is a critical material for implantable medical devices.
• Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) is vital for analyzing implant surfaces.
• Conductive coatings (e.g., gold/palladium) are necessary for SEM but hinder surface reuse.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a protocol for cleaning gold/palladium coated titanium surfaces after SEM analysis.
• To enable the regeneration of titanium surfaces for repeated experimental use.
• To address the economic challenge posed by the single-use nature of coated titanium implants.

Main Methods:

• Titanium samples from cardiac assist devices were coated with fibronectin, seeded with cells, and then coated with gold/palladium.
• Five different cleaning protocols were tested, with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) used for surface analysis.
• Atomic force microscopy (AFM) was employed to assess microstructural integrity post-cleaning.

Main Results:

• A cleaning protocol involving aqua regia treatment, ozonolysis (optional), soap sonication, and deionized water sonication successfully regenerated titanium surfaces.
• XPS confirmed that the treated surfaces returned to their original state.
• AFM demonstrated that the protocol did not alter the titanium microstructure.

Conclusions:

• A novel, effective, and non-damaging protocol for cleaning gold/palladium coated titanium surfaces after SEM analysis has been established.
• This method allows for the regeneration of expensive titanium implant materials, facilitating repeated experiments and reducing costs.
• The protocol is broadly applicable to titanium surfaces in biomedical research and potentially to various titanium alloys.