Ag/Si doped carbon layer for bio-medical application - CarLa

Project summary

The CarLa project is a common undertaking of POLAND and ROMANIA concerning one aim where each scientific partner conducts biological and mechanical tests of new Ag/Si doped carbon layers deposited onto medical Ti alloy using six different methods in order to provide to the market products in a form of antimicrobial medical implants with good mechanical properties and ability to accelerate the osteointegration process. The role of industrial partners in the project is to verify the modified implants under industrial conditions. According to the Global Biomaterials Market report (2009-2014) published by the World Marketand Markets, every year around the world about 100,000 artificial heart valves, 200,000 pacemakers and 1 million orthopedic implants are implanted. The increase is due to the use of biomaterials social demand increase from 8% to 15%. Growth factors are: aging population, increased public awareness, shorter approval process of biomaterials and complications after the implantation. This last problem is widely discussed in literature. It was proved that most of post-implantation complications are caused by the infections and/or disorders induced by toxic reactions as a result of release of alloy elements from the implant. The most typical are: difficulties in wound healing, increase of bacterial and fungal infection risk, slowdown of osteogenic cells adhesion, slack of prosthesis due to bone disappearance around implant or allergic dermal eczema. It is estimated that allergy problem in implantology will be increasing for the next generations. Accordingly the post-implantation complications have not only clinical but also economic consequences. Clinical consequences are: longer period of antibiotic therapy and repeated surgical procedures, disability or even death. Economic effects are directly related to elongation of clinical procedures and generate additional costs (several billion € annually throughout Europe). Taking above into consideration it is profitable to conduct proposed research and worked out new solution which being proposed on the marked give patients better/safer products and lower cost of clinical treatment. In this connection the main objective of the project is manufacturing of Ag/Si doped C coatings onto the titanium alloy medical implants. The innovation of proposed solution is based on simultaneous introduction to the carbon coating two elements with different properties. This will result in the improvement of the existing solutions and also broaden the range of their possible uses. The presence of silver in the coating will ensure a broad spectrum of antimicrobial action, though protecting the implant against the disadvantageous influence of bacteria and fungi causing biofilm associated infections, local inflammation and other implant-tissue reactions. The addition of silicon will lead to the enhancement of mechanical properties of the coating and promote osteointegration. This will result in shortening the healing process of patients and allow using of proposed solution for the modification of the long-term implants surfaces. Despite of the fact that the subject of doping of carbon coatings by different elements is on the European scientific map and many research results can be found in this field, there is a lack of reports concerning the mechanical and biological properties of Ag/Si doped carbon layers synthesized with use of the technologies proposed in CarLa. The results of this project will bridge the gap in the state of the art of submicron structures modifications. The high scientific level of the proposed project, the novelty of the scientific problem to be undertaken, and well-composed team of professionals with complementary expertise and big experience in the work entrusted to them, ensures that the project will be implemented in a timely manner and at the highest level of science and its results will be published at top rank journals and be implemented into the market.