Bioinspired surface hierarchical microstructures of Ti6Al4V alloy with a positive effect on osteoconduction

Osteoconduction is critical for the success of dental and orthopaedic implants. Inspired by the remarkable adhesion of the skin structures in tree frog toe pads, biomimetic hierarchical surface structures on titanium alloy implants are fabricated by laser surface texturing and chemistry surface treatment in this work, to improve osteoconduction on implants. The main differences in the wettability, bioactivity in simulated body fluid and osteoblastic cell MC3T3 proliferation were measured and analyzed among Ti6Al4V samples with smooth surface, micro-hexagons and hierarchical structures, respectively. Noteworthy, bioinspired hierarchical structures displayed the lowest contact angle in hydrophilicity, best bioactivity and excellent cell proliferation. The reasons for these differences were found and discussed in the topographical cues and bioactive surface layer. An innovative functionalization strategy of improving the osteoconduction on titanium alloy implants was proposed using the hierarchical structures, which is meaningful in various tissue engineering applications and implant fields.