Drug-Eluting Titanium Oxide Nanotube Arrays

Student: James Maniscalco
Department: Physics
Advisor: Sri Sridhar

Abstract

Titanium oxide nanotube arrays provide a strong alternative to current drug-eluting implants which employ polymer coatings. While the polymer coatings degrade over time, the nanotubes are characteristic of the surface and do not degrade. Moreover, titanium and titanium oxide are biocompatible, and have been used extensively for implants over the last 35 years. Further, since the nanotubes are produced by anodizing titanium, they can be manufactured on nearly any three-dimensional surface.