Nanoscale Titanium Surface Engineering via Low-Temperature Hydrothermal Etching for Enhanced Antimicrobial Properties

Area of Science:

• Biomaterials Engineering
• Nanotechnology
• Orthopedic Surgery

Background:

• Postoperative infections are a significant challenge in orthopedics.
• Bioinspired nanotopography on titanium surfaces shows antimicrobial potential.
• High-temperature fabrication methods limit industrial scalability.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a low-temperature hydrothermal etching method for fabricating antimicrobial titanium nanostructures.
• To compare the physicochemical properties and antimicrobial efficacy of low-temperature nanostructures with high-temperature counterparts.
• To assess the feasibility of low-temperature protocols for large-scale manufacturing.

Main Methods:

• Hydrothermal etching of titanium surfaces using KOH at 75 °C.
• Characterization of nanostructure morphology, crystal phases (titania, titanates), and formation mechanisms.
• Bactericidal assays against Gram-negative bacteria.

Main Results:

• Successfully fabricated one-dimensional nanostructure arrays at 75 °C, comparable to 150 °C methods.
• Identified nanostructure formation via dissolution-reprecipitation, with titanates (K2Ti4O9·nH2O) and titania.
• Low-temperature nanosurfaces demonstrated comparable bactericidal efficacy (34.4%) against Gram-negative bacteria as high-temperature surfaces (34.0%).

Conclusions:

• Low-temperature hydrothermal synthesis (75 °C) effectively produces antimicrobial titanium nanospikes.
• The developed method is suitable for large-scale manufacturing, addressing limitations of high-temperature processes.
• This approach offers a viable strategy for reducing orthopedic implant-associated infections.