We designed and produced pure cubic zirconia (ZrO2) ceramic1
coatings by an ion beam assisted deposition (IBAD) with nanostructures
comparable to the size of proteins. Our ceramic coatings exhibit high
hardness and a zero contact angle with serum. In contrast to hydroxyapatite
(HA), nano-engineered zirconia films possess excellent adhesion to all
orthopaedic materials. Cell adhesion and proliferation experiments were
performed with a bona fide mesenchymal stromal cell line (OMA-AD). Our
experimental results indicate that the nano-engineered cubic zirconia is
superior in supporting growth, adhesion, and proliferation. Since cell
attachment is mediated by adhesive proteins such as fibronectin (FN), to
elucidate why cells attach more effectively to our nanostructures, we
performed a comparative analysis of adsorption energies of FN fragment using
quantum mechanical calculations and Monte Carlo (MC) simulation both on
smooth and nanostructured surfaces. We have found that a FN fragment adsorbs
significantly stronger on the nanostructured surface than on the smooth
surface2.