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CoBlast is a novel variant of the standard grit blasting process, whereby two blast jets are used on a coincident point on the surface. One jet blasts an abrasive grit which abrades and churns up the metal surface, baring the reactive metal beneath the oxide layer, while the second jet introduces the dopant material to this newly exposed surface. While the metal oxide layer is reforming, the dopant material is integrated into the new surface via a combination of tribochemical bonding and interlocking (see Figure). The consequent biointerface is in effect an amalgam of the metal oxide and the deposited material rather than a coating in the traditional sense. Indeed, due to its unique conformation—a disjointed non-continuous deposition of bioceramic material in and on the metal oxide—the newly formed “modified” surface is not prone to delamination through chipping or peeling, as is the case with a coating.
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TEM image showing a CoBlasted surface (hydroxyapatite on titanium)
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