Corrosion Resistance of Biodegradable Zinc Surfaces Enhanced by UV-Grafted Polydimethylsiloxane Coating.

Improved living conditions have led to an increase in life expectancy worldwide. However, as people age, the risk of vascular disease tends to increase due to the accumulation and buildup of plaque in arteries. Vascular stents are used to keep blood vessels open.

Nanoscale Topography of Anodic TiO Nanostructures Is Crucial for Cell-Surface Interactions.

Anodic titanium dioxide (TiO) nanostructures, i.e., obtained by electrochemical anodization, have excellent control over the nanoscale morphology and have been extensively investigated in biomedical applications owing to their sub-100 nm nanoscale topography range and beneficial effects on biocompatibility and cell interactions.

Enhanced Photocatalytic H Generation by Light-Induced Carbon Modification of TiO Nanotubes.

Titanium dioxide (TiO) is the material of choice for photocatalytic and electrochemical applications owing to its outstanding physicochemical properties. However, its wide bandgap and relatively low conductivity limit its practical application. Modifying TiO with carbon species is a promising route to overcome these intrinsic complexities.

Metastable Ni(I)-TiO Photocatalysts: Self-Amplifying H Evolution from Plain Water without Noble Metal Co-Catalyst and Sacrificial Agent.

Decoration of semiconductor photocatalysts with cocatalysts is generally done by a step-by-step assembly process. Here, we describe the self-assembling and self-activating nature of a photocatalytic system that forms under illumination of reduced anatase TiO nanoparticles in an aqueous Ni solution. UV illumination creates a Ni/TiO/Ti photocatalyst that self-activates and, over time, produces H at a higher rate.

Long-term stability of aerophilic metallic surfaces underwater.

Aerophilic surfaces immersed underwater trap films of air known as plastrons. Plastrons have typically been considered impractical for underwater engineering applications due to their metastable performance. Here, we describe aerophilic titanium alloy (Ti) surfaces with extended plastron lifetimes that are conserved for months underwater.

Silicone-Based Lubricant-Infused Slippery Coating Covalently Bound to Aluminum Substrates for Underwater Applications.

Wetting of solid surfaces is crucial for biological and industrial processes but is also associated with several harmful phenomena such as biofouling and corrosion that limit the effectiveness of various technologies in aquatic environments. Despite extensive research, these challenges remain critical today. Recently, we have developed a facile UV-grafting technique to covalently attach silicone-based coatings to solid substrates.

Activation of Osmium by the Surface Effects of Hydrogenated TiO Nanotube Arrays for Enhanced Hydrogen Evolution Reaction Performance.

Efficient cathodes for the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) in acidic water electrolysis rely on the use of expensive platinum group metals (PGMs). However, to achieve economically viable operation, both the content of PGMs must be reduced and their intrinsically strong H adsorption mitigated. Herein, we show that the surface effects of hydrogenated TiO nanotube (TNT) arrays can make osmium, a so far less-explored PGM, a highly active HER electrocatalyst.

Metal Oxide Nanoparticles: Review of Synthesis, Characterization and Biological Effects.

In the last few years, the progress made in the field of nanotechnology has allowed researchers to develop and synthesize nanosized materials with unique physicochemical characteristics, suitable for various biomedical applications. Amongst these nanomaterials, metal oxide nanoparticles (MONPs) have gained increasing interest due to their excellent properties, which to a great extent differ from their bulk counterpart. However, despite such positive advantages, a substantial body of literature reports on their cytotoxic effects, which are directly correlated to the nanoparticles' physicochemical properties, therefore, better control over the synthetic parameters will not only lead to favorable surface characteristics but may also increase biocompatibility and consequently lower cytotoxicity.

Nontoxic Liquid-Infused Slippery Coating Prepared on Steel Substrates Inhibits Corrosion and Biofouling Adhesion.

Wetting of surfaces plays a vital role in many biological and industrial processes. There are several phenomena closely related to wetting such as biofouling and corrosion that cause the deterioration of materials, while the efforts to prevent the degradation of surface functionality have spread over several millennia. Antifouling coatings have been developed to prevent/delay both corrosion and biofouling, but the problems remain unsolved, influencing the everyday life of the modern society in terms of safety and expenses.

Macrophage-like Cells Are Responsive to Titania Nanotube Intertube Spacing-An In Vitro Study.

With the introduction of a new interdisciplinary field, osteoimmunology, today, it is well acknowledged that biomaterial-induced inflammation is modulated by immune cells, primarily macrophages, and can be controlled by nanotopographical cues. Recent studies have investigated the effect of surface properties in modulating the immune reaction, and literature data indicate that various surface cues can dictate both the immune response and bone tissue repair. In this context, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of titanium dioxide nanotube (TNT) interspacing on the response of the macrophage-like cell line RAW 264.

Comment on "Old is Gold: Electrolyte Aging Influences the Topography, Chemistry, and Bioactivity of Anodized TiO Nanopores".

Self-organized anodic TiO nanostructures, in the form of nanopores, nanotubes, mesosponge, etc., obtained by electrochemical anodization have in the past two decades attracted tremendous focus and the number of publications based on such structures for various applications is remarkable. Guo et al.

Anodic TiO Nanotubes: Tailoring Osteoinduction via Drug Delivery.

TiO nanostructures and more specifically nanotubes have gained significant attention in biomedical applications, due to their controlled nanoscale topography in the sub-100 nm range, high surface area, chemical resistance, and biocompatibility. Here we review the crucial aspects related to morphology and properties of TiO nanotubes obtained by electrochemical anodization of titanium for the biomedical field. Following the discussion of TiO nanotopographical characterization, the advantages of anodic TiO nanotubes will be introduced, such as their high surface area controlled by the morphological parameters (diameter and length), which provides better adsorption/linkage of bioactive molecules.

As a single atom Pd outperforms Pt as the most active co-catalyst for photocatalytic H evolution.

Here, we evaluate three different noble metal co-catalysts (Pd, Pt, and Au) that are present as single atoms (SAs) on the classic benchmark photocatalyst, TiO. To trap the single atoms on the surface, we introduced controlled surface vacancies (Ti-O) on anatase TiO nanosheets by a thermal reduction treatment. After anchoring identical loadings of single atoms of Pd, Pt, and Au, we measure the photocatalytic H generation rate and compare it to the classic nanoparticle co-catalysts on the nanosheets.

Dye-sensitized TiO nanotube membranes act as a visible-light switchable diffusion gate.

Here we report that both-end open anodic TiO nanotube membranes, after sensitization with a Ru(ii)-based dye, exhibit visible-light switching properties for flow-through the nanotube channels. Under illumination, the gate is in an open state providing ∼four-times faster permeation of small molecules through the membrane compared to a dark state. Switching is reversible with no apparent dye degradation being observed.

Lateral Spacing of TiO Nanotubes Modulates Osteoblast Behavior.

Titanium dioxide (TiO) nanotube coated substrates have revolutionized the concept of implant in a number of ways, being endowed with superior osseointegration properties and local drug delivery capacity. While accumulating reports describe the influence of nanotube diameter on cell behavior, little is known about the effects of nanotube lateral spacing on cells involved in bone regeneration. In this context, in the present study the MC3T3-E1 murine pre-osteoblast cells behavior has been investigated by using TiO nanotubes of ~78 nm diameter and lateral spacing of 18 nm and 80 nm, respectively.

Anodic Titanium Dioxide Nanotubes for Magnetically Guided Therapeutic Delivery.

Hollow titanium dioxide (TiO) nanotubes offer substantially higher drug loading capacity and slower drug release kinetics compared to solid drug nanocarriers of comparable size. In this report, we load TiO nanotubes with iron oxide nanoparticles to facilitate site-specific magnetic guidance and drug delivery. We generate magnetic TiO nanotubes (TiONTs) by incorporating a ferrofluid containing Ø ≈ 10 nm iron oxide nanoparticles in planar sheets of weakly connected TiO nanotubes.

Drug Delivery Systems Based on Titania Nanotubes and Active Agents for Enhanced Osseointegration of Bone Implants.

TiO2 nanotubes (TNTs) are attractive nanostructures for localized drug delivery. Owing to their excellent biocompatibility and physicochemical properties, numerous functionalizations of TNTs have been attempted for their use as therapeutic agent delivery platforms. In this review, we discuss the current advances in the applications of TNT-based delivery systems with an emphasis on the various functionalizations of TNTs for enhancing osteogenesis at the bone-implant interface and for preventing implant-related infection.

Intracellular Drug Delivery with Anodic Titanium Dioxide Nanotubes and Nanocylinders.

Titanium dioxide (TiO) holds remarkable promises for developing current theranostic strategies. Anodic TiO nanostructures as a porous scaffold have offered a broad range of useful theranostic properties; however, previous attempts to generate single and uniform TiO one-dimensional nanocarriers from anodic nanotube arrays have resulted in a broad cluster size distribution of arbitrarily broken tubes that are unsuitable for therapeutic delivery systems due to poor biodistribution and the risk of introducing tissue inflammation. Here, we achieve well-separated, uniformly shaped anodic TiO nanotubes and nanocylinders through a time-varying electrochemical anodization protocol that leads to the generation of planar sheets of weakly connected nanotubes with a defined fracture point near the base.

TiO nanotubes with different spacing, FeO decoration and their evaluation for Li-ion battery application.

In the present work, we report on the use of organized TiO nanotube (NT) layers with a regular intertube spacing for the growth of highly defined α-FeO nano-needles in the interspace. These α-FeO decorated TiO NTs are then explored for Li-ion battery applications and compared to classic close-packed (CP) NTs that are decorated with various amounts of nanoscale α-FeO. We show that NTs with tube-to-tube spacing allow uniform decoration of individual NTs with regular arrangements of hematite nano-needles.

Synthesis of free-standing TaN nanotube membranes and flow-through visible light photocatalytic applications.

We report on free-standing TaN nanotubular membranes with open top and bottom, used as visible-light-active, flow-through photocatalytic micro-reactors. We grow first a robust anodic TaO layer, lift-off a membrane and convert to TaN. Such membranes can easily, in a flow-through mode, degrade methylene blue under visible light (wavelength >400 nm) or solar illumination.

Photoelectrochemical H Generation from Suboxide TiO Nanotubes: Visible-Light Absorption versus Conductivity.

In the present work we report on the key factors dictating the photoelectrochemical (PEC) performance of suboxide titania (TiO ) nanotubes. TiO nanotubes were produced by a systematic variation of reduction heat treatments of TiO in Ar/H . The properties of the TiO tubes were investigated by electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), solid-state conductivity, reflectivity measurements, photocurrent spectroscopy, and photoelectrochemical hydrogen evolution.

Highly Conducting Spaced TiO Nanotubes Enable Defined Conformal Coating with Nanocrystalline Nb O and High Performance Supercapacitor Applications.

Establishing self-organized spacing between TiO nanotubes allows for highly conformal Nb O deposition that can be adjusted to optimized supercapacitive behavior.

Activity of vancomycin release from bioinspired coatings of hydroxyapatite or TiO nanotubes.

Herein we investigate the efficiency of various biomimetic coatings for localized drug delivery, using vancomycin as key therapeutic drug, which is a widely used antibiotic for the treatment of strong infections caused by positive Gram bacteria. We evaluate classical hydroxyapatite and biomimetic hydroxyapatite-collagen coatings obtained by electrochemical deposition as well as TiO nanotubes arrays obtained by electrochemical anodization. Surface morphology, compositional and structural data confirm the incorporation of vancomycin into the layers and drug release profiles for vancomycin evaluate their release ability.

Protein interactions with layers of TiO nanotube and nanopore arrays: Morphology and surface charge influence.

Unlabelled: In the present work we investigate the key factors involved in the interaction of small-sized charged proteins with TiO nanostructures, i.e. albumin (negatively charged), histone (positively charged).

TiO nanotubes with laterally spaced ordering enable optimized hierarchical structures with significantly enhanced photocatalytic H generation.

In the present work we grow self-organized TiO nanotube arrays with a defined and controlled regular spacing between individual nanotubes. These defined intertube gaps allow one to build up hierarchical 1D-branched structures, conformally coated on the nanotube walls using a layer by layer nanoparticle TiO decoration of the individual tubes, i.e.