How to stabilize highly hydrophilic surfaces for implantation in humans.

What is it about?

On ultrahydrophilic smooth surfaces, which are defined as displaying at least contact angles ≤ 10° (optimally 0°), a drop of water rapidly spreads. Hyperhydrophilic rough surfaces, which display complex and imaginary contact angles (e.g. 5i°-20i°) are extremely selfwetting on contact with water and blood and are therefore optimal on dental and orthopaedic implants for humans. The major drawback of these surfaces is that they are intrinsically unstable on storage and revert in short times to contact angles of 20° - 60°, thus loosing their spreading and selfwetting properties for aqueous liquids. It was discovered in our group in 2007 (patent) that the ultra- and hyperhydrophilic exterior of metals can be stabilized for may years if a salt solution is dried on the surface, leading to a thin 450-800 nm thick salt crust (= exsiccation layer) thereon. This and the analysis of the described wetting properties are described in the selected paper (HPJ, April 8, 2019).

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Why is it important?

At present the exsiccation-layer method is the best method for conserving ultra-, super- and hyperhydrophilic surfaces.