A multichannel potentiostat/galvanostat for calcium phosphate deposition and protein studies

稳定永久性金属植入物，如牙科或髋关节植入物，可能是一个巨大的挑战，特别是当慢性病或现有的骨质量或数量较差影响其他成功的治疗时。目前正在进行的一个项目寻求使用一种新的陶瓷加工方法，这种方法将允许可降解的磷酸钙基材料作为涂层沉积在这些金属设备上，以主动引导身体自身细胞的组织再生。这将通过在电化学沉积过程中战略性地加入一种关键的生物蛋白质来实现，从而实现蛋白质在植入部位的持续局部浓缩。这种蛋白质如何被结合到涂层中，将直接影响其植入后的可用性。这项提议是为了购买一个现代化的、研究密集型电化学工作站，该工作站将能够实现对实现这些涂层所需的当前条件的自动化和精确控制，同时还允许通过使用5个独立控制的通道来同时对多个样品进行涂层。有了这个工作站，就有可能优化这种包衣工艺，并在动物模型中评估其潜力。该装置的多功能性还将使研究新的金属植入材料的电化学性质成为可能，这将影响它们的耐腐蚀性，并可能影响其在体内的蛋白质吸附特性。最终，这些行为将决定这些金属材料对预期植入应用的兼容性。

Stabilizing permanent metallic implant devices such as dental or hip implants can be a significant challenge, especially when chronic disease or poor existing bone quality or quantity compromises otherwise successful treatment. A current project underway seeks to use a novel ceramic processing method that will allow degradable calcium phosphate-based materials deposited as coatings on these metallic devices to actively direct tissue regeneration by the body's own cells. This will be accomplished through the strategic incorporation of a key biological protein during electrochemical deposition such that a sustained local concentration of the protein at the implant site is achieved. How this protein is incorporated into the coating will directly influence its availability once implanted.  This proposal is for the purchase of a modern, research-intensive electrochemical workstation that will enable automated and precise control of the current conditions required to achieve these coatings, while also allowing multiple samples to be coated simultaneously through the use of 5 independently controlled channels. With this workstation, it should be possible to optimize this coating process and assess its potential in an animal model. The versatility of this unit will also enable a study of the electrochemical properties of new metallic implant materials that will influence their corrosion resistance and possibly protein adsorption characteristics in the body. Ultimately, these behaviors will dictate the compatibility of these metallic materials for the intended implant application.