Improved osteoblast response to UV-irradiated PMMA/TiO2 nanocomposites with controllable wettability

Osteoblast response was evaluated with polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA)/titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanocomposite thin films that exhibit the controllable wettability with ultraviolet (UV) treatment. In this study, three samples of PMMA/TiO2 were fabricated with three different compositional volume ratios (i.e., 25/75, 50/50, and 75/25) followed by UV treatment for 0, 4, and 8 h. All samples showed the increased hydrophilicity after UV irradiation. The films fabricated with the greater amount of TiO2 and treated with the longer UV irradiation time increased the hydrophilicity more. The partial elimination of PMMA on the surface after UV irradiation created a durable hydrophilic surface by (1) exposing higher amount of TiO2 on the surface, (2) increasing the hydroxyl groups on the TiO2 surface, and (3) producing a mesoporous structure that helps to hold the water molecules on the surface longer. The partial elimination of PMMA on the surface was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Surface profiler and atomic force microscopy demonstrated the increased surface roughness after UV irradiation. Both scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy demonstrated that particles containing calcium and phosphate elements appeared on the 8 h UV-treated surface of PMMA/TiO2 25/75 samples after 4 days soaking in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium. UV treatment showed the osteoblast adhesion improved on all the surfaces. While all UV-treated hydrophilic samples demonstrated the improvement of osteoblast cell adhesion, the PMMA/TiO2 25/75 sample after 8 h UV irradiation (n = 5, P value = 0.000) represented the best cellular response as compared to other samples. UV-treated PMMA/TiO2 nanocomposite thin films with controllable surface properties represent a high potential for the biomaterials used in both orthopedic and dental applications.