Dr. Ho-Jung Jeon's team at the Biomaterials Research Center at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST, Director Seok-Jin Yoon) has developed a ceramic artificial bone coating technology that has a bonding strength that is more than three times better than before on the surface of a material for transplantation.
New Process Technique Using Nanosecond Laser Device
KIST researchers developed a technology that can implement the existing artificial bone coating, which required more than a day and dozens of steps, within an hour with just one process. Using this process technique, a separate process for synthesizing raw materials for artificial bone coating is not required, and coating can be performed with only one nanosecond laser device without expensive equipment and an accompanying heat treatment process.
In addition, it is possible to form a coating layer having a stronger bonding force than a few artificial bone coating techniques currently used in clinical practice. In addition, when this process is used, there is an advantage that a strong coating can be implemented not only on the metal surface but also on the surface of polymer materials such as plastic implants for orthopedic surgery, which could not be realized by conventional processes.
Method of Laser Irradiation
Dr. Ho-Jung Jeon's team used a method of laser irradiation by placing the material to be coated in a solution consisting of calcium and phosphorus, which are the main components of bone, in order to achieve a strong coating while shortening the process step and time. At this time, as the temperature increased locally in the focal region of the laser, the calcium and phosphorus components reacted to form a ceramic artificial bone (hydroxyapatite), and a coating layer was formed at the same time.
This method is different from the method of stacking the components to be coated on the surface of the material in the conventional coating method, while the synthesis of the artificial bone component occurs by the laser, and at the same time, the surface of the material is heated above the melting point to be melted and then synthesized. Because it hardens again, it was possible to extremely increase the coating bonding strength.
Dr. Ho-Jung Jeon of KIST said, “
The hydroxyapatite coating technique using nanosecond lasers is a technology that can activate the surface of bio-inert materials such as titanium and PEEK, which are widely used as biomaterials, with a simple method. It is expected that it will be able to play a role as a game changer that enables expansion to various medical devices."
Source: KIST