WW-Colloquium: Prof. Dr. Kantesh Balani – Designing Next Generation Biocomposites for Implants

Prof. Dr. Kantesh Balani
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, India

Designing Next Generation Biocomposites for Implants

The associated trauma of bacterial infection, especially after post-surgery, becomes very painful for the patients. Thus, the perspective of nanobiotechnology engineer in selecting antibacterial materials and eliciting enhanced resistance to bacterial adhesion is addressed in the current presentation. Herein, attachment of S. Aureus gram positive bacteria on various substrates, i.e. metallic (316L stainless steel and Ti-6Al-4V), polymeric (ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, UHMWPE), and ceramic (hydroxyapatite, HA) is assessed. The adhesion strength of bacterium is evaluated using atomic force spectroscopy by gluing S. Aureus on its tip-less cantilever. Lowest adhesion strength of bacterium observed on UHMWPE surface contrast with conventional results of lowest colony forming units (with most %dead bacteria on HA surface. Poisson’s regress has elicited lower long-range and short-range adhesion forces in UHMWPE compared to that of HA and others. Computational modelling has been utilized to visualize the adhesion of bacterial surface proteins with biomaterial surfaces. Multi length scale damage assessment with antibacterial ZnO and Ag reinforcement have rendered elicited reduced wear. Extension to utilization of 58S Bioglass as bioresorbable material to encourage bone-regrowth, the transient response (up to 1000 ms), and role of antioxidant CeO2 and antibacterial Ag are
also elucidated. Further, a step towards 3-D printing is directed for eventual bio-printing. In addition, the design of newer bioresorbable materials also appears to be potential direction for bone-replacement applications.
Keywords: Biomaterials, S. aureus bacteria, Atomic force microscope (AFM), Adhesion strength, Molecular dynamics, 58S Bioglass, 3-D printing