Surface Properties and Modification of Implanted Materials

A special issue of Coatings (ISSN 2079-6412). This special issue belongs to the section "Surface Coatings for Biomedicine and Bioengineering".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 September 2026 | Viewed by 2340

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
School of Dental, Health and Care Professions, Faculty of Science and Health, University of Portsmouth, Hampshire Terrace, Portsmouth PO1 2EG, UK
Interests: erosive tooth wear and the role of salivary proteins, minerals, and pellicles in dental erosion and remineralization; looking into the function and modification of salivary proteins in oral health and disease; measuring salivary pellicles/proteins and the oral microbiome; properties of dental biomaterials; biomimetic aesthetic restorations

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Guest Editor
School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth PO1 2DT, UK
Interests: bone tissue engineering; musculoskeletal tissue regeneration; orthopedic implants; stem cells
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Guest Editor
School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Portsmouth, St Michael’s Building, White Swan Road, Portsmouth PO1 2DT, UK
Interests: biomaterials

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Guest Editor
Faculty of Technology, University of Portsmouth, Anglesea Building, Anglesea Road, Portsmouth PO5 1PD, UK
Interests: dental materials; implant and tissue engineering

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Implantable materials play a crucial role in modern medicine, providing solutions for the repair, replacement, and enhancement of damaged tissues, such as in dental, orthopedic, and cardiac implants. The surface properties of these materials are critical to their success, influencing both their mechanical performance and biological interactions. Bacterial adhesion and subsequent biofilm formation on implant surfaces can lead to infection, implant failure, and chronic inflammation, presenting a significant challenge in implantology.

To address these challenges, surface modification techniques have been developed to improve antibacterial properties, enhance biocompatibility, and promote tissue integration. These modifications include coatings, functionalization, and nanostructuring, all aimed at reducing bacterial adhesion, improving the longevity of implants, and enhancing their clinical performance.

This Special Issue of Coatings will comprise original research articles and review papers that explore the latest advancements in the surface modification of implantable materials. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, antimicrobial coatings, bioactive surface modifications, and innovations in material treatments for dental, orthopedic, and cardiac implants. This Special Issue will provide valuable insights into the evolving field of implantable materials and their surface engineering.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Mahdi Mutahar
Prof. Dr. Gordon Blunn
Prof. Dr. Marta Roldo
Dr. Roxane Bonithon
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Coatings is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • surface modification
  • bacterial adhesion
  • biofilm formation
  • saliva and salivary pellicle
  • biocompatibility
  • tissue integration

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Review

38 pages, 21946 KB  
Review
Surface Modification and Coating for Titanium Dental Implants: A Review on Advances in Techniques, Biological Performance, and Clinical Applications
by Amantle Balang, Gordon Blunn, Marta Roldo, Katerina Karali and Roxane Bonithon
Coatings 2026, 16(4), 423; https://doi.org/10.3390/coatings16040423 - 2 Apr 2026
Viewed by 1365
Abstract
Dental implants have become common for restoring function and aesthetics after edentulism, with titanium (Ti) remaining the most widely used material due to its excellent mechanical properties and biocompatibility. Despite their clinical success, long-term performance is strongly influenced by surface characteristics, which regulate [...] Read more.
Dental implants have become common for restoring function and aesthetics after edentulism, with titanium (Ti) remaining the most widely used material due to its excellent mechanical properties and biocompatibility. Despite their clinical success, long-term performance is strongly influenced by surface characteristics, which regulate osseointegration and susceptibility to bacterial colonisation. Consequently, surface modification approaches have become critical strategies to enhance implant stability, bioactivity and longevity. This review critically evaluates conventional, advanced, and hybrid surface modification strategies. Subtractive methods, such as sandblasting and acid etching, increase microroughness (Ra 1.5–3 μm), enhancing osteoblast attachment and differentiation, but may promote bacterial adhesion and surface contamination. Combined treatments like SLA and SLActive generate hierarchical micro–nano topographies, improving protein adsorption, early-stage osteoblast proliferation (up to 2-fold), and clinical stability. Laser ablation and photofunctionalisation further modulate surface chemistry and wettability, accelerating osseointegration and epithelial cell adhesion. Coating approaches, including layer-by-layer self-assembly, nanospray drying, plasma spraying, and piezoelectric nanocomposites, introduce antimicrobial activity (>95% reduction in Escherichia coli or Staphylococcus aureus) and enhanced osteogenic differentiation with mechanical stability, with adhesion values reaching 49 MPa. Hybrid techniques such as sol–gel, hydrothermal, and anodisation provide controlled topography, chemical composition, and bioactivity, promoting early bone-to-implant contact (BIC increase of 10%–25%) in preclinical models. Notwithstanding promising in vitro and in vivo outcomes, variability in processing parameters and limited standardisation restrict large-scale clinical translation. Overall, contemporary Ti surface engineering emphasises a synergistic balance of topography, chemistry, wettability, and hierarchical structuring to optimise biological performance for dental implant applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Surface Properties and Modification of Implanted Materials)
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