Surface texturing to enhance sol-gel coating performances for biomedical applications

The paper proposes a novel approach to increase the performances of a sol–gel coating for biomedical applications. In particular, ultrasonic vibration-assisted turning in combination with cryogenic cooling is explored for the first time to generate a complex and isotropic texture more prone to be coated, and, in turn, less corrosion susceptible compared to the corresponding surfaces generated through conventional machining. A comprehensive characterization of the generated surfaces before and after coating gives new insights for understanding the mechanisms of increased performances, which were validated on bones fixation pins.