The Influence of Combined Sterilization Factors on the Structural and Functional Characteristics of Bone Implants.

The results of a comprehensive study of the patterns of structural and functional changes in bone tissue samples after combined (ozone + radiation) sterilization are presented. The study used a different approach to the sterilization process with selective ozone or radiation exposure and an integral, combined one, based on a combined ozone-oxygen treatment of bone samples at the first stage and radiation at the second. The methods of IR spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy with a prefix for elemental analysis, atomic force microscopy, and mechanical analysis with determination of elastic-plastic properties (Vickers microhardness index) were used in the work.