Details of Grant 

EPSRC Reference:	EP/X038408/1
Title:	Multi-doped Calcium-Phosphate Coatings for Resorbable Magnesium Alloy Implant Applications
Principal Investigator:	Acheson, Dr JG
Other Investigators:
Researcher Co-Investigators:
Project Partners:	Fort Wayne Metals Research Products Corp
Department:	School of Engineering
Organisation:	University of Ulster
Scheme:	New Investigator Award
Starts:	04 December 2023	Ends:	03 December 2026	Value (£):	409,270
EPSRC Research Topic Classifications:	Biomaterials Eng. Dynamics & Tribology Materials testing & eng.
EPSRC Industrial Sector Classifications:	Environment
Related Grants:
Panel History:	Panel Date Panel Name Outcome 03 May 2023 Engineering Prioritisation Panel Meeting 3 and 4 May 2023 Announced
Summary on Grant Application Form
Non-permanent bone fixation devices are often made of Titanium and stainless steel, requiring a second procedure to remove the device after the bone has healed. Secondary surgeries required to remove these devices cause blood loss, further pain to patients and are costly for healthcare systems requiring additional surgical team time. Using metals with mechanical properties much higher than surrounding bone can also cause issues at the healing site such as stress shielding. Magnesium has mechanical properties closer to those of cortical bone than Titanium and Stainless Steel and is naturally bioresorbable in the body. However, the use of Magnesium for resorbable bone fixation devices is hindered by its rapid corrosion rate. This work aims to synthesise and investigate bioactive amorphous and polycrystalline Calcium Phosphate and hydroxyapatite coating containing multiple substituted ions for Magnesium bone fixation device applications. These multi-ion doped coatings will allow for a faster healing time of the implant site and will provide the Magnesium implant with a tailorable corrosion rate as a function of coating thickness and crystallinity. Ions Strontium, Zinc and Silver will be investigated for how their incorporation affects coating dissolution and subsequently underlying Magnesium corrosion rate. Coatings will be deposited onto FDA approved Magnesium alloy materials and be flash annealed via a surface irradiation technique to crystallise coatings into ion-substituted hydroxyapatites with varying surface properties. Coated Magnesium samples will then be subjected to a suite of in vitro and corrosion studies to determine relationships between specific ion release and improved cell activity.
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Organisation Website:	http://www.ulst.ac.uk