Micro-Sandblasting and Sulfonation of PEEK Dental Implants

PEEK, a thermoplastic polymer that has mechanical properties comparable to those of bone. This new material shows excellent mechanical properties, in particular a modulus of elasticity comparable to that of cortical bone. In the area of medical traumatology it is recognized as a bioinert material and in clinical studies it was observed that superficial modification with bioactive reagents increases the fixation of PEEK with bone. It was proposed in the work to perform two procedures for PEEK implants at the superficial level, Microsanding and Sulfonation. The initial characterization of the peek implants was carried out with an Aluminum Oxide Micro-sanding of different granulometries and taking into account the distance and exposure time, a table was prepared to follow a surface micro-sandblasting protocol. The PEEK surface showed to be a very treatable material and with effective results with sandblasting with Aluminum Oxide. This methodology of mechanical treatment was very satisfactory but the sense of the investigation led to postulate another alternative method of chemical treatment called Sulfonation. By establishing an immersion protocol, the molecular structure of PEEK was changed through the use of sulfuric acid and inactivated with carbonated potassium. Through the Physical Metallurgy Research Laboratory (LIMF) it was observed by Scanning Electron Microscopy using a SEM FEI Quanta200 microscope.