Papers by Author: T.S. Sampath Kumar

Abstract: A simple chemical conversion coating was adopted to deposit zinc calcium phosphate (ZCP) coating and strontium doped ZCP (SZCP) coating on AZ31 magnesium alloy to induce biocompatibility and reduce the degradation rate. The surface morphology, chemical composition and functional groups of the coating were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy Dispersive X-Ray Spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) studies and Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy respectively. SZCP coating formed at 20 min deposition time produced crack free surface with a high degree of crystallinity with barrier property, which ultimately retards the dissolution of magnesium in Simulated Body Fluid (SBF). The corrosion resistance of AZ31 magnesium alloy was improved by SZCP coating as evident from hydrogen evolution test (HET). Cytotoxicity evaluation with L969 cells showed that Sr doped ZCP coatings showed less toxicity on resorbable magnesium alloys.

Abstract: The development of the calcium phosphate ceramics (CPC) using natural materials such as coral, eggshell, bovine bone, fish bone etc., from Indian origin have been reviewed. The CPCs from natural sources has the benefit that they inherit some of the properties of the raw materials such as the macro-and micro-pore structure, optimal composition, similar morphology etc., as well as the advantage of unlimited world wide availability at a very low raw material cost. Hydroxyapatite (HA), carbonated HA and fluorapatite from natural coral genus "Goniopora” has been obtained. Growth factor loaded coralline HA has been found to significantly accelerate early-stage bone formation in in vivo rabbit model studies. Sea shells have been tested as the source of calcium for electrochemical deposition of HA on titanium implants. Deproteinized hydroxyl carbonate apatite phase was formed by heating adult bovine tibia at 500o C. As eggshell could be easily procured, a great deal of effort has been made to utilize this resource as value-added CPCs including nanocrystalline HA (OHA), calcium deficient HA (CDHA), TCP, tetracalcium phosphate (TTCP) etc., which are the most widely used bone substitutes. Also OHA showed higher antibiotic delivery and more controlled protein release profile compared to the synthetic apatites. Eggshell derived CPCs were also found to have minor amount of Mg, Sr, Si and Na ions inherited from the eggshell. As these ions are crucial for bio-mineralization of eggshell, the influence of multi-ions substituted CPCs as a potential bioceramic for bone regenerative applications has been emphasised.

Abstract: The effect of structure and composition of calcium phosphate (CaP) nanoparticles namely hydroxyapatite (HA), calcium deficient hydroxyapatite (CDHA) with Ca/P ratio ranging from 1.33 to 1.61 and tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP), on the efficiency of nanoparticles as an ideal drug carrier have been investigated. Ibuprofen, an anti-inflammatory drug was chosen for this study. The CaP nanoparticles were prepared by microwave accelerated wet chemical synthesis method and were characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, infrared spectroscopy, and electron microscopic techniques. The loading and release profiles of ibuprofen from the nanocarriers was studied using UV-Vis spectroscopy. Maximum loading of the drug was observed in β-TCP (75%) followed by CDHA of Ca/P ratio 1.5. Both samples have same Ca/P ratio but have different crystal structure. Low amount of drug loading was observed in HA and other CDHAs which have Ca/P ratio different from 1.5. Although, all the samples exhibits sustained release of ibuprofen for about 7 days, the maximum release was also shown by β-TCP (26%). Among HA and CDHAs, the amount of ibuprofen release increases with increasing Ca/P ratio. The loading and release profile of ibuprofen drug seems to be strongly related to the Ca/P ratio and structure of CaP nanocarriers.

Abstract: Magnesium and its alloys are promising candidates for temporary implant applications due to their combination of mechanical properties, biocompatibility and biodegradation. But higher degradation rate restricts their wider applications. Recently friction stir processing (FSP) has emerged as a promising tool to attain near surface fine grain structure in materials. In the present work commercial purity magnesium was processed by FSP to obtain fine grain structure and the effect of the grain refinement on the bioactivity was investigated. The microstructural observations were carried out at different locations of the processed regions, from an original grain size of 1500μm, grain refinement was achieved to a level of 6.2μm at the nugget zone. Microhardness was measured across the processed regions and improvement was observed at the nugget zone. Contact angle measurements were carried out to estimate the wettability of the material and the measurements indicate increased wettability due to the increased surface energy induced by grain refinement. For studying the bioactivity the FSPed samples were immersed in simulated body fluids (SBF 5X) for different intervals of time. The phases formed on the samples were investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) method, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis. The phases on the samples after 72hr of immersion were confirmed as magnesium hydroxide, hydroxyapatite and magnesium phosphate by XRD. Controlled degradation due to formation of these phases was observed. FSPed samples have more deposition of Ca/P than non FSP samples which implies better control over the degradation. Hence grain refinement by FSP can be a simple technique to control the degradation of magnesium for temporary implant applications.