Thin films of titanium oxides, titanium oxynitrides and titanium nitrides were deposited on glass substrates by the methods of direct current (DC) and pulsed magnetron sputtering and cathodic arc evaporation. Phase analysis of the deposited films by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) showed the presence of phases with various Ti oxidative states, which indicated a high concentration of oxygen vacancies. The films morphology was investigated by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Investigations of the films wettability, either with water or ethylene glycol, showed that it depends directly on the concentration of oxygen vacancies. The wettability mechanism was particularly discussed.

This study examined the potential of a new porous calcium hydroxyapatite scaffold covered with poly (lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) as a bone substitute, identifying its advantages over Geistlich Bio-Oss^®, considered the gold standard, in in vivo biofunctionality investigations. Structural and morphological properties of the new scaffold were analyzed by scanning electron and atomic force microscopy. The biofunctionality assays were performed on New Zealand white rabbits using new scaffold for filling full-thickness defects of critical size. The evaluated parameters were: the presence of macrophages, giant cells, monoocytes, plasma cells, granulocytes, neoangiogenesis, fibroplasia, and the percentage of mineralization. Parallel biofunctionality assays were performed using Geistlich Bio-Oss^®. The appearance of bone defects 12 weeks after the new scaffold implantation showed the presence of a small number of typical immune response cells. Furthermore, significantly reduced number of capillary buds, low intensity of fibroplasia and high degree of mineralization in a lamellar pattern indicated that the inflammation process has been almost completely overcome and that the new bone formed was in the final phase of remodeling. All biofunctionality assays proved the new scaffold’s suitability as a bone substitute for applications in maxillofacial surgery. It showed numerous biological advantages over Geistlich Bio-Oss^® which was reflected mainly as a lower number of giant cells surrounding implanted material and higher degree of mineralization in new formed bone.

The influence of monomeric and micellar concentrations of the cationic monomeric, dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB), and the corresponding dimeric, bis(N,N-dimethyl-N-dodecyl)ethylene-1,2-diammonium dibromide (12-2-12), surfactants on the formation and transformation of amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP) was investigated. The combination of microscopy (AFM and TEM) and light scattering techniques (size and zeta potential measurements) enabled, for the first time, the simultaneous monitoring of the effect that additives exert on different length scales during CaP formation in solution – from prenucleation clusters and ACP particles to the crystalline phase. Depending on their aggregation state (monomers or micelles) and the geometry of the aggregate (spherical or elongated micelles), DTAB and 12-2-12 have exhibited different effects on the rate of ACP transformation, as well as on the morphology of the amorphous and crystalline phases. It was shown that the effect of surfactants on the precipitation process observed on the microscale could be a result of different pathways on the nanoscale. The obtained results may have implications for the understanding of the general mechanism of inorganic–organic interactions underlying the biomineralization processes, as well as for materials science.