Surface engineering of Orthopedic implants for better clinical adoption

Abstract

The growing demand for treating musculoskeletal disorders has necessitated the design and manufacturing of novel biometal-based implants and scaffolds with longer service life. However, various technological hurdles must be addressed to establish feasible manufacturing technology for these medical devices. The clinical challenges of bare metallic implants and scaffolds include bioinert surfaces, inadequate cell-material interactions, bacterial colonization, modulus mismatch, and inferior tribo-corrosion-resistant properties. These factors often increase the risk of implant failure, which necessitates revision surgery. The recent advances in biomaterials have facilitated the development of technologies such as functional and smart coatings, biomimetic interfaces, nanosurface engineering, and biomolecule immobilization for surface modification of these implants. These strategies are gaining popularity as effective approaches for mitigating the challenges in various applications. This review highlights the current scenario of biometal-based implants and scaffolds, focusing on surface modification technologies for creating a biocompatible interface via functional, durable coatings to address various issues related to implant rejection. The review emphasizes the techniques for developing these functional coatings and exploring their potential applications in biomedical engineering. The opportunities and challenges in the clinical translation are also highlighted. In summary, this review comprehensively delves into the scientific aspects of coatings along with shedding light on the commercial considerations, making it a valuable resource for applied and translational researchers.