In situ production of low-modulus Ti-Nb alloys by selective laser melting and their functional assessment toward orthopedic applications.

This work aimed to manufacture Ti-28.5Nb and Ti-40.0Nb (wt%) alloys in situ via selective laser melting (SLM) from Ti and Nb elemental powders. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed complete ß-phase (cubic) in Ti-40.0Nb and a mixture of (α'' orthorhombic + ß cubic) phases in Ti-28.5Nb were formed, whereas few of the Nb particles remained only partially fused during manufacturing. The fraction of partially melted Nb particles was determined as ∼2 and ∼18% in Ti-28.5Nb and Ti-40Nb, respectively. Mechanical characterization revealed higher hardness and more strength in Ti-28.5Nb than in Ti-40.0Nb due to the presence of the α'' phase in the former. Tribocorrosion tests reveal a significantly better wear-corrosion resistance for Ti-40.0Nb, as determined from a lower total volume loss in Ti-40.0Nb (∼2 × 10-4 mm-3) than in Ti-28.5Nb (∼13 × 10-2 mm-3). The lower volume loss and better corrosion resistance behavior are attributed to the ß phase, which was dominant in Ti-40.0Nb. Cell studies reveal no toxicity for up to 7 days. Both the alloys were better at supporting cell proliferation than wrought Ti6Al4V. This study presents a route to preparing Ti-Nb alloys in situ by SLM that are promising candidates for biomedical applications.

Low-cost hyper-spectral imaging system using a linear variable bandpass filter for agritech applications.

Hyperspectral imaging for agricultural applications provides a solution for non-destructive, large-area crop monitoring. However, current products are bulky and expensive due to complicated optics and electronics. A linear variable filter was developed for implementation into a prototype hyperspectral imaging camera that demonstrates good spectral performance between 450 and 900 nm. Equipped with a feature extraction and classification algorithm, the proposed system can be used to determine potato plant health with ∼88% accuracy. This algorithm was also capable of species identification and is demonstrated as being capable of differentiating between rocket, lettuce, and spinach. Results are promising for an entry-level, low-cost hyperspectral imaging solution for agriculture applications.

Cytocompatibility assessment of Ti-Nb-Zr-Si thin film metallic glasses with enhanced osteoblast differentiation for biomedical applications.

Biologically safe Ti-based quaternary Ti-Nb-Zr-Si thin film metallic glass (TFMG) was fabricated by sputtering on Titanium alloy (Ti6Al4V or Ti alloy) substrates. A preliminary assessment regarding glass forming ability, thermal stability and corrosion behavior was performed. The amorphous nature of the film is evidenced from the X-ray Diffraction (XRD) and Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM) and Selected Area Electron Diffraction (SAED) patterns. Ion scattering spectroscopy (ISS) and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS) were used to analyse the chemical composition of surface which indicated oxygen on the top surface of the film and confirms the presence of Ti, Nb, Si, Zr without any other impurities. The surface morphology of the film showed a smooth surface as observed from scanning electron microscope (SEM) and atomic force microscope (AFM) analysis. It is found that the TFMG can sustain in the body-fluid, exhibiting superior corrosion resistance and electrochemical stability than the bare titanium. The cytotoxicity studies with L929 fibroblast cells showed that coatings were graded as zero and non-cytotoxic in nature. No hemolysis was observed on the coated surface indicating a better hemocompatibility. Assay using SaOS-2 bone cells showed good growth on the coated surfaces. The calcium assay showed that the SaOS-2 cells grown and differentiated on the control (Tissue Culture Polystyrene) TCPS surface had the highest mineral level. Higher alkaline phosphatase activity is obtained in SaOS-2 osteoblast cell cultures on TFMG than the control.

Cytocompatibility assessment of Ti-Zr-Pd-Si-(Nb) alloys with low Young's modulus, increased hardness, and enhanced osteoblast differentiation for biomedical applications.

Ti-based alloys have increased importance for biomedical applications due to their excellent properties. In particular, the two recently developed TiZrPdSi(Nb) alloys, with a predominant ß-Ti phase microstructure, have good mechanical properties, such as a relatively low Young's modulus and high hardness. In the present work, the cytocompatibility of these alloys was assessed using human osteoblast-like Saos-2 cells. Cells grown on the alloys showed larger spreading areas (more than twice) and higher vinculin content (nearly 40% increment) when compared with cells grown on glass control surfaces, indicating a better cell adhesion. Moreover, cell proliferation was 18% higher for cells growing on both alloys than for cells growing on glass and polystyrene control surfaces. Osteogenic differentiation was evaluated by quantifying the expression of four osteogenic genes (osteonectin, osteocalcin, osteopontin, and bone sialoprotein), the presence of three osteogenic proteins (alkaline phosphatase, collagen I, and osteocalcin) and the activity of alkaline phosphatase at different time-points. The results demonstrated that TiZrPdSi and TiZrPdSiNb alloys enhance osteoblast differentiation, and that cells grown on TiZrPdSiNb alloy present higher levels of some late osteogenic markers during the first week in culture. These results suggest that the TiZrPdSi(Nb) alloys can be considered as excellent candidates for orthopaedical uses. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part B: Appl Biomater, 106B: 834-842, 2018.

Labeling and preliminary in vivo assessment of niobium-labeled radioactive species: A proof-of-concept study.

The application of radionuclide-labeled biomolecules such as monoclonal antibodies or antibody fragments for imaging purposes is called immunoscintigraphy. More specifically, when the nuclides used are positron emitters, such as zirconium-89, the technique is referred to as immuno-PET. Currently, there is an urgent need for radionuclides with a half-life which correlates well with the biological kinetics of the biomolecules under question and which can be attached to the proteins by robust labeling chemistry. (90)Nb is a promising candidate for in vivo immuno-PET, due its half-life of 14.6h and low ß(+) energy of Emean=0.35MeV per decay. (95)Nb on the other hand, is a convenient alternative for longer-term ex vivo biodistribution studies, due to its longer half-life of (t½=35days) and its convenient, lower-cost production (reactor-based production). In this proof-of-principle work, the monoclonal antibody bevacizumab (Avastin(®)) was labeled with (95/90)Nb and in vitro and in vivo stability was evaluated in normal Swiss mice and in tumor-bearing SCID mice. Initial ex vivo experiments with (95)Nb-bevacizumab showed adequate tumor uptake, however at the same time high uptake in the liver, spleen and kidneys was observed. In order to investigate whether this behavior is due to instability of (⁎)Nb-bevacizumab or to the creation of other (⁎)Nb species in vivo, we performed biodistribution studies of (95)Nb-oxalate, (95)Nb-chloride and (95)Nb-Df. These potential metabolite species did not show any specific uptake, apart from bone accumulation for (95)Nb-oxalate and (95)Nb-chloride, which, interestingly, may serve as an "indicator" for the release of (90)Nb from labeled biomolecules. Concerning the initial uptake of (95)Nb-bevacizumab in non-tumor tissue, biodistribution of a higher specific activity radiolabeled antibody sample did show only negligible uptake in the liver, spleen, kidneys or bones. In-vivo imaging of a tumor-bearing SCID mouse after injection with (90)Nb-bevacizumab was acquired on an experimental small-animal PET camera, and indeed showed localization of the radiotracer in the tumor area. It is the first time that such results are described in the literature, and indicates promise of application of (90)Nb-labeled antibodies for the purposes of immuno-PET.

Enhanced CO2 Adsorption Affinity in a NbO-type MOF Constructed from a Low-Cost Diisophthalate Ligand with a Piperazine-Ring Bridge.

A metal-organic framework (NPC-6) with an NbO topology based on a piperazine ring-bridged diisophthalate ligand was synthesized and characterized. The incorporated piperazine group leads to an enhanced adsorption affinity for CO2 in NPC-6, in which the CO2 uptake is 4.83 mmol g(-1) at 293 K and 1 bar, ranking among the top values of CO2 uptake on MOF materials. At 0.15 bar and 293 K, the NPC-6 adsorbs 1.07 mmol g(-1) of CO2 , which is about 55.1 % higher than that of the analogue MOF NOTT-101 under the same conditions. The enhanced CO2 uptake combined with comparable uptakes for CH4 and N2 leads to much higher selectivities for CO2 /CH4 and CO2 /N2 gas mixtures on NPC-6 than on NOTT-101. Furthermore, an N-alkylation is used in the synthesis of the PDIA ligand, leading to a much lower cost compared with that in the synthesis of ligands in the NOTT series, as the former does not require a palladium-based catalyst and borate esters. Thus, we conclude that NPC-6 is a promising candidate for CO2 capture applications.

In vitro performance assessment of new beta Ti-Mo-Nb alloy compositions.

New ß-titanium based alloys with low Young's modulus are currently required for the next generation of metallic implant materials to ensure good mechanical compatibility with bone. Several of these are representatives of the ternary Ti-Mo-Nb system. The aim of this paper is to assess the in vitro biological performance of five new low modulus alloy compositions, namely Ti12Mo, Ti4Mo32Nb, Ti6Mo24Nb, Ti8Mo16Nb and Ti10Mo8Nb. Commercially pure titanium (cpTi) was used as a reference material. Comparative studies of cell activity exhibited by MC3T3-E1 pre-osteoblasts over short- and long-term culture periods demonstrated that these newly-developed metallic substrates exhibited an increased biocompatibility in terms of osteoblast proliferation, collagen production and extracellular matrix mineralization. Furthermore, all analyzed biomaterials elicited an almost identical cell response. Considering that macrophages play a pivotal role in bone remodeling, the behavior of a monocyte-macrophage cell line, RAW 264.7, was also investigated showing a slightly lower inflammatory response to Ti-Mo-Nb biomaterials as compared with cpTi. Thus, the biological performances together with the superior mechanical properties recommend these alloys for bone implant applications.

Reverse Monte Carlo refinements of local displacive order in perovskites: AgNbO3 case study.

Reverse Monte Carlo refinements with combined input from neutron/x-ray total scattering and extended x-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) were applied to analyze local atomic displacements in perovskite-related AgNbO(3). This compound exhibits complex displacive order-disorder behavior that determines the unique dielectric properties of AgNbO(3)-based ceramics. Our results revealed that the total scattering and EXAFS data collected from polycrystalline samples were insufficient to reproduce the correlated local Nb displacements which are evident from the diffuse scattering observed in electron diffraction. A credible representation of the AgNbO(3) structure was obtained by enforcing these correlations via restraints on the atomic moves, thus ensuring that the refined atomic ensemble not only satisfied the total scattering and EXAFS data (a total of five datasets) but also reproduced the shape of the observed electron diffuse scattering. Such constrained RMC refinements revealed two-site positional disorder for each of the two non-equivalent Ag crystallographic positions. The refinements confirmed that all Ag cations in AgNbO(3) exhibit similar local Ag-O coordination environments as opposed to the two distinct Ag coordinations in the average Pbcm structure. These results support the existence of Ag order-disorder behavior similar to that observed for Nb.