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

稳定永久性金属植入装置（如牙科或髋关节植入物）可能是一项重大挑战，特别是当慢性疾病或现有骨质量或数量不足危及其他成功治疗时。目前正在进行的一个项目试图使用一种新的陶瓷加工方法，将可降解的磷酸钙基材料作为涂层沉积在这些金属装置上，以积极地指导人体自身细胞的组织再生。这将通过电化学沉积过程中关键生物蛋白的战略性结合来实现，从而在植入部位实现持续的局部蛋白质浓度。这种蛋白质如何与涂层结合将直接影响其植入后的可用性。该提案是为了购买一个现代化的、研究密集型的电化学工作站，该工作站将能够自动化和精确地控制实现这些涂层所需的电流条件，同时还允许通过使用5个独立控制的通道同时涂覆多个样品。有了这个工作站，应该可以优化这种涂层工艺并评估其在动物模型中的潜力。该装置的多功能性也将有助于研究新型金属植入材料的电化学特性，这将影响它们的耐腐蚀性，并可能影响蛋白质在体内的吸附特性。最终，这些行为将决定这些金属材料在植入物应用中的相容性。

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.