Effect of acid etching temperature on surface physiochemical properties and cytocompatibility of Ti6Al4V ELI alloy

Acid etching is one of the most commonly used surface modification process for the present day marketed dental implants. Literature related to acid etching of titanium alloy is very limited. In the present research work, the effect of acid temperature (HCl and H2SO4) as an etchant solution was studied and evaluated on Ti6Al4V ELI grade material surface by physiochemical properties such as topography, surface compositions, roughness, hydrophilicity and cytocompatibility. Surface topography of alloy at optimized temperature (60 degrees C-80 degrees C) was found to be dual porous while commercially pure titanium was non porous at the same parameters. With the increase in etching temperature from 40 degrees C to 100 degrees C, there was a decrease in surface roughness and an increase in hydrophilicity. Cell proliferation was found to be significantly higher at 60 degrees C and 80 degrees C etched surfaces. The result of this study suggests that topography, surface chemistry and cytocompatibility of an alloy surface is significantly affected by the temperature of acids used in etching. Moreover, leaching of Al and V ions from the alloy surfaces is also a major concern for long term performance of dental and orthopaedic implants, so modification of an alloy surface should be optimized meticulously for these medical applications.