Tribological Properties of Ti-Based Nanofiber-CS Composite Flexible Coatings

The development of metal implants as permanent replacements for hard tissue involves careful consideration of both interfacial bone integration for load-bearing support and interfacial energy dissipation to prevent bone resorption due to excess load. Currently, most implants are typically limited to excelling in only one of these functions. A promising approach to achieving a synergistic effect of interfacial bone integration and energy dissipation is the design of a nanofiber-chitosan (nanofiber-CS) composite flexible coating on titanium alloy surfaces. However, the tribological properties of this flexible coating remain uncertain. In this study, the authors evaluated the tribological properties of pure titanium substrates and the nanofiber-cs composite flexible coating in both dry and wet environments. The results demonstrated that while the nanofiber-cs composite flexible coating reduced surface wear in dry conditions, it increased surface wear in wet environments. This indicates that there is potential for improvement in the tribological characteristics of the nanofiber-cs composite flexible coating, particularly in wet conditions. This research offers theoretical and technical insights into the design of flexible coatings for implant surfaces from a tribological standpoint.