Manuel Pedro Fernandes Graça

Bone replacement is one of the major medical procedures in the oral surgery field due to the progressive ageing population and to illness or trauma in younger age groups. The use of implants without biological activity and effective osseointegration increases the chances of implant failure. This work aims to improve the interaction between implants and bone by using Bioglass 45S5 (BG)/hydroxyapatite (HAp) mixtures, including copper-, zinc-, and cerium-doped BG, as well as co-doping by the mentioned metals, as coatings produced by the CoBlastTM technique. All coatings present a uniform coverage of the Ti-6Al-4V substrate. Furthermore, in vitro testing using human osteosarcoma Saos-2 cells indicated that BG/HAp coatings have no cytotoxic effect, and the used of doping agents did not alter cell adhesion, proliferation, or alkaline phosphatase (ALP) expression when compared to undoped coating. These results demonstrate that BG/HAp by CoBlastTM can be a solution to improve implants’ osseointegration.

Na1.5MnII3MnIII0.5(AsO4)3 and Na1.5MnII3FeIII0.5(AsO4)3 compounds were synthesized via a high-temperature solid-state combustion reaction. The obtained samples were submitted to structural, morphological, and electrical characterizations. X-ray diffraction measurements revealed that both compounds crystallize in the monoclinic system with the space group P21/c. The lattice parameters were determined to be a = 6.78344 Å, b = 12.93830 Å, c = 11.22825 Å, and β = 98.5374° for Na1.5MnII3MnIII0.5(AsO4)3, and a = 6.76723 Å, b = 12.9864 Å, c = 11.256 Å, and β = 98.8636° for Na1.5Mn2+3Fe3+0.5(AsO4)3. The structures consist of octahedral MnII and MnIII or FeIII ions connected by sharing edges, forming infinite chains. These chains are further connected by AsO4 tetrahedra, resulting in a three-dimensional anionic framework with tunnels parallel to the a-direction and cavities according to the c-direction. The structural models were validated using bond valence and charge distribution analyses. In addition to the structural characterization, the electric results depended on the crystal structures, indicating the potential of the studied materials for being used in several applications.