Biocompatibility of Si-incorporated TiO2 film prepared by micro-arc oxidation

In this article, we present the first report about preparing Si-incorporated TiO2 film on pure titanium implant by micro-arc oxidation (MAO) in the simple electrolyte only containing silicon salt (NaOH and Na2SiO3 with different concentrations). We show that the MAO film could be formed in this electrolyte and Si-incorporation could modulate the morphology as well as the pore size of the film. Compared to pure titanium and MAO film without Si-incorporation, the resultant Si-incorporated MAO films have better biocompatibility for the adhesion and proliferation of rat bone mesenchymal stem cells (rBMSCs) on them. This Si-incorporated MAO film should be a potential method to modify the orthopedic implants.