Objectives
The main objective of the Pho-Tim project is to enhance the characteristics of titanium alloys used for implant manufacturing, by depositing new phosphate layers using a chemical conversion process (phosphating). Therefore, the obtained layers will promote the osseointegration and biocompatibility of the substrate in order to reduce the number of implant failures and decrease patient recovery times.
In order to achieve the main objective of the project, the following specific objectives are considered:
(i) Designing new recipes of phosphating solutions based on (1) Zn-Ca-Mg, (2) Zn-Ca-Zr, and (3) Zn-Mg-Zr, taking into account international research directions, as well as the requirements of legislation and European and national standards in the field of human regenerative medicine (it is based on the preliminary results published by the PL in scientific articles, specialized books, and the doctoral thesis, as well as on the results obtained so far within the Compete 2.0 project, where the PL is the team leader).
(ii) Optimization of the phosphating technology parameters;
(iii) Deposition of phosphate layers on the surface of the titanium alloy Ti6Al4V. A known alloy was chosen to perform the validation of the layer, subsequently, the layer could be optimized and deposited on any type of titanium alloy;
(iv) Structural, mechanical, chemical, and surface characterization of the newly deposited layers, as well as their evaluation from the point of view of biocompatibility. Additionally, the interpretation of the obtained experimental results.
(v) Dissemination of the results by patenting the recipes of the phosphating solution, participating in international conferences, and publishing articles in high-ranked journals.