Photoinduced properties of nanocrystalline TiO2-anatase coating on Ti-based bone implants

The paper reports on the photoinduced properties of hydrothermally treated (HT) titanium used for bone implants. The anatase coatings composed of 30-100nm anatase crystals exhibited high photocatalytic activity and good photo-induced wettability, reaching a superhydrophilic state, despite the larger crystal dimensions than the previously reported optimal ones. These properties are due to a suitable combination of surface texture, roughness, thickness, crystal morphology and particle size, which allowed the two independent photo-induced phenomena to occur simultaneously. The results on caffeine degradation by photocatalysis and the prolonged effect (up to two weeks) of photo-induced wettability in dark suggested a possible applicability of the HT anatase coatings as bacteria-repelling surfaces for body implants, in favor of a better osseointegration in vivo.