J Korean Acad Prosthodont.  2001 Feb;39(1):84-95.

A study on the resistance of wear and cytotoxicity of the titanium surface after film depositions

• Kim HW
• Kim CW
• Kim YS

Abstract

Titanium is widely used in dentistry for its low density, high strength, fatigue resistance, corrosion resistance, and biocompatibility. But it has a tendency of surface damage under circumstance of friction and impact for its low hardness of the surface. Coating is one of methods for increasing surface hardness. Its effect is to improve surface physical characteristics without change of titanium. Diamond-like carbon and titanium nitride are known for its high hardness of the surface. So that this study was aimed at the wear test and the cytotoxicity teat of the commercially pure titanium and Ti-6Al-4V alloy which were deposited by diamond-like carbon film or titanium nitride film to acertain improvement of the surface hardness and the biocompatibility. A disk (25mm diameter, 2mm thickness) was made of commercially pure titanium and Ti-6Al-4V alloy and these substrates were deposited by diamond-like carbon film or titanium nitride film. Diamond-like carbon film was deposited by the method of radiofrequency plasma assisted chemical vapor deposition and titanium nitride film was deposited by the method of reactive arc ion plating. Then these substrates were tested about wear characteristics by the pin-on-disk type wear tester in which ruby ball was used as a wear causer under the load of 32N. The fracture cycles were measured by rotating the substrates until their films were fractured. The wear volume was measured after 150 cycles and 3,000 cycles using surface profiler. The cytotoxicity test was performed by the method of the MTT assay. The results were as follows: 1. In the results of the wear volume test, commercially pure titanium and titanium alloy which were coated by diamond-like carbon film or titanium nitride film had higher resistance against wear than the substrates which were not coated by any films(P<0.05). 2. In the results of the fracture cycle test and the wear volume test, diamond-like carbon film had higher resistance against wear than titanium nitride film (P<0.05). 3. In both coatings of diamond-like carbon film and titanium nitride film, Ti-6AI-4V alloy had higher resistance against wear than commercially pure titanium (P<0.05). 4. In the results of the cytotoxicity test, diamond-like carbon film and titanium nitride film had little cytotoxicity as like commercially pure titanium or Ti-6Al-4V alloy (>0.05).

MeSH Terms

Alloys
Carbon
Corrosion
Dentistry
Fatigue
Friction
Hardness
Plasma
Titanium*
Alloys
Carbon
Titanium