Sandblast-free double-etched titanium for dental implants application

•A novel double etched method is put forward for titanium dental implants.•Hierarchical structures with micro holes and nano pits are obtained.•The residual particles of SLA surface are avoided by using this method.•Reactive oxygen species are detected on the etched titanium surfaces.

The residue of sand particles is an inevitable problem in sandblast and acid-etching (SLA) process. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) can significantly inhibit bacterial reproduction around the implants. Based on these two points, a sandblast-free double etching technique was proposed to obtain an antimicrobial titanium surface with hierarchical structures without inducing residual particles. Holes of 10–20 µm in diameter and pits of hundreds of nanometers were observed on etched surfaces by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Meanwhile, ROS were also detected on etched surfaces by means of X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). Namely that surfaces with hierarchical structures and antimicrobial performance without inducing residual particles were obtained. This novel double etched surface may be promising to dental implants.

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