A team of researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has developed a smart coating for orthopedic implants.

According to its developers, the smart coating is capable of monitoring strain on the implants, offering early warning of failures while simultaneously killing infection-causing bacteria.

Source: Beckman Imaging Technology Group

To accomplish this, the coating features a combination of sensors with nanostructured antibacterial surfaces inspired by the wings of insects — specifically cicadas and dragonflies.

To address the two major challenges encountered with orthopedic implants — namely infection and failure — the researchers developed a thin foil patterned with nanoscale pillars, similar to those that occur naturally on the wings of insects. In the event that a bacterial cell tries to bind to the foil, the nanoscale pillars penetrate the bacterial cell wall, effectively killing it.

Further, located on the back side of the nanostructured foil where it connects to the implant are arrays of flexible electronic sensors for monitoring strain. With this addition, the team can reportedly monitor the healing progress of patients, guide their rehabilitation and thus reduce their recovery times and minimize risks, and repair or replace implants before they fail, the researchers explained.

In the lab, the researchers implanted the foils in live mice and monitored them for signs of infection. The team also applied the coatings to spinal implants and monitored strain to the implants in sheep spines. In both tests, the coatings reportedly performed both tasks effectively.

The coating is detailed in the article, “A smart coating with integrated physical antimicrobial and strain-mapping functionalities for orthopedic implants,” which appears in the journal Science Advances.