Pre regeneráciu a rast poranených nervových vlákien bolo preskúmaných mnoho postupov, no výsledný rast axónov je často náhodný až dezorganizovaný a odráža sa na zložitejšom zotavovaní pacienta. V tejto práci boli vyrobené nové skafoldy s mikroštruktúrnymi a mechanickými vlastnosťami nervového skafoldu pomocou metódy freeze-casting. Konkrétne boli vyrobené biokeramické skafoldy na báze fosforečnanov vápenatých, oxidu titaničitého alebo oxidu zirkoničitého. Pomocou kontrolovaného rastu ľadu v jednom smere bola pripravená orientovaná mikroštruktúra. Pozorovanie pomocou skenovacej elektrónovej mikroskopie potvrdilo lineárne orientované póry (lamelárny systém), v ktorých priemerná veľkosť pórov klesala so zvyšujúcou sa rýchlosťou mrazenia. Skafoldy pripravené pomocou mrazenia v tekutom dusíku vykazovali vynikajúce mechanické vlastnosti, kde pevnosť v ohybe bola získaná v rozmedzí 10–17 MPa. Tie isté skafoldy mali vzdialenosť medzilamelamelárnych priestorov 10–30 µm, ktorých parametre sú vhodné pre nervové skafoldy. Biokompatibilita bola vyhodnotená pomocou Schwannových buniek in vitro, kde bola pozorovaná adhézia a rast v lamelárnom smere. Cytotoxické testy odhalili negatívny vplyv vyššej koncentrácie vápnika na prežitie Schwannových buniek. Pripravené skafoldy mali schopnosť tvorby apatitu na povrchu v podobe embryonálnych a nukleačných centier a apatitu samotného. Skafoldy na báze fosforečnanov vápenatých a oxidu titaničitého vykazovali sľubné regeneračné vlastnosti, konkrétne adhéziu a rast prostredníctvom pórovitej štruktúry a taktiež vynikajúce mechanické vlastnosti.

Dans cette étude nous avons cherché à évaluer les paramètres et les mécanismes gouvernant la réactivité des catalyseurs à base de cérium lors de la dégradation des colorants textiles, seuls ou en mélange binaire, dans le cadre du procédé Fenton/photo-Fenton. Dans ce but, 5 séries de catalyseurs à base de cérium ont été testées pour déterminer les effets respectifs : (i) de la surface spécifique de CeO2 commercial (SBET = 11, 101,5 ; 148 ; 235 et 284 m2/g), (ii) du dopage au zirconium (oxydes mixtes CexZr1-xO2 avec différentes teneurs en cérium (x = 0 ; 0,2 ; 0,5 ; 0,8 ; 1)), (iii) d’un traitement de sulfatation de CexZr1-xO2 par H2SO4, et (iv) de l’imprégnation de CeO2 par différents métaux (M = Ba, Bi, La, V et Mo). Les propriétés texturales, structurales et chimiques des catalyseurs à base de cérium étudiés ont été dans la plupart des cas caractérisées par porosimétrie à l’azote, DRX, Raman, XPS, FTIR/ATR, DR-UV-Vis et ATG. Les cinétiques de décoloration et de minéralisation de l’Orange II en présence de CeO2 et H2O2 dépendent fortement de la surface spécifique des catalyseurs ainsi que des paramètres opératoires (présence d’irradiation UV-Vis, pH, température, concentration initiale en catalyseur et en H2O2). Par comparaison avec les colorants pris séparément, l’adsorption compétitive de l’Orange II et de l’Acide Vert 25 sur les mêmes sites d’adsorption à pH = 3 réduit les taux de dégradation des deux colorants en mélange. En revanche, l’association de l’Orange et du Vert de Malachite en paires d’ion, permet d’améliorer la cinétique apparente de dégradation du Vert de Malachite d’un facteur 5. Dans ce cas, la réaction de Fenton et la coagulation-floculation contribuent simultanément à l’élimination de deux colorants de charge opposée en présence du système CeO2/H2O2. De plus, les performances des oxydes mixtes Ce-Zr dans le procédé Fenton hétérogène sont étroitement liées à leurs caractéristiques texturales, structurales et chimiques. Les analyses effectuées ont permis de vérifier les phases cristallines des oxydes mixtes de révéler la formation de solutions solides. Le traitement de sulfatation conduit à la diminution de la surface spécifique et l’augmentation de la taille des cristallites des oxydes riches en Ce. La dissolution de CeO2 lors de sulfatation suivie par formation d’une phase amorphe Ce(SO4)2 à la surface du catalyseur a été mise en évidence. Le traitement de sulfatation ainsi que le dopage au Zr permettent d’augmenter la densité de surface en sites réduits Ce(III). Les études en spectroscopies DR-UV-Vis, FTIR/ATR et Raman relatives à l’adsorption et l’activation d’H2O2 par les oxydes mixtes ont permis de mettre en évidence l’existence d’espèces Ce-peroxo de surface, comme intermédiaires pour générer les radicaux hydroxyles. La détermination quantitative de ces espèces par TPD-MS s’est avérée utile pour mieux comprendre les performances catalytiques des oxydes mixtes modifiés ou non. La concentration en Ce de surface, la densité de défauts Ce(III) (augmenté par dopage et le traitement de sulfatation) et la surface spécifique semblent être à cet égard parmi les paramètres les plus influents sur l’activité. L’imprégnation de CeO2 par différents métaux n’a pas montré un impact positif sur la réactivité de ce matériau en procédé Fenton. Un mécanisme général d’activation d’H2O2 a été proposé sur la base des résultats expérimentaux obtenus et la littérature. De point de vue mécanistique, les analyses spectroscopiques par ATR/FTIR et UV-Vis montrent que l’adsorption de l’Orange II à la surface du catalyseur est fortement dépendante du pH du milieu et se fait par des interactions électrostatiques. Le mécanisme de dégradation de l’Orange II, en phase liquide et à la surface du catalyseur, a été étudié par différentes techniques (DR-UV-VIS et ATR/IR, HPLC et GC/MS) / In this work, the parameters and mechanisms governing the reactivity of cerium based materials towards the degradation of textile dyes, taken separately or in binary mixture, in Fenton/photo-Fenton process have been investigated. For this purpose, five sets of catalysts were performed in order to determine the respective effects of : (i) the specific surface area of commercial CeO2 (SBET = 11, 101,5 ; 148 ; 235 and 284 m2/g); (ii) the zirconia doping ((CexZr1-xO2 with different Ce content (x = 0 ; 0,2 ; 0,5 ; 0,8 ; 1)); (iii) the treatment with H2SO4 ; and (iv) the impregnation of different metals in CeO2 (M = Ba, Bi, La, V and Mo). The textural, structural and chemical properties of the studied ceria-based materials were systematically characterized by nitrogen porosimetry, Raman, XRD, XPS, ATR/FTIR, DR-UV-Vis and TGA. Discoloration and mineralization kinetics of Orange II dye in presence of CeO2/H2O2 system are strongly related to the surface area of catalysts and other parameters (UV-Vis irradiation, pH, temperature, concentration of catalyst and H2O2). The presence of another dye with similar (Acid Green 25) or opposite charge (Malachite Green) can also influence the discoloration kinetics of Orange II. Comparing with single dye solutions, the degradation efficiency of both Orange II and Acid Green 25 were reduced in the mixture due to the competitive adsorption of both anionic dyes onto the same surface Ce sites. However, the discoloration of Malachite Green was enhanced in the presence of Orange II due to the simultaneous contribution of both coagulation/flocculation and Fenton-like process. It is suggested that a Malachite Green ion is electrostatically attracted by an Orange II ion at pH = 3. In addition, the performance of the mixed oxides in the heterogeneous Fenton process is strongly related to their textural, structural and chemical properties. Briefly, characterizations by XRD and Raman spectroscopy indicate that these nanosized mixed oxides can be considered as good quality solid solutions and possess structural properties consistent with the known phase diagram of CexZ1-xO2. The sulfation treatment mostly affects the Ce rich catalysts by increasing the crystallite size and lowering the specific surface area. The dissolution of ceria during sulfation followed by formation of Ce(SO4)2 amorphous phase on catalyst surface was investigated by UV-Vis and TGA analysis. Sulfation treatment as well as doping ceria with Zr increases the amount of reduced sites Ce (III) and defect sites.DR-UV-Vis, FTIR/ATR and Raman spectroscopic studies for adsorption and activation of H2O2 on mixed oxides show the formation of surface Ce-peroxo species as intermediate to generate hydroxyl radicals. The relative amounts of these species on the mixed oxides and/or not modified was indirectly determined using TPD-MS, giving rather good indication about the performances of catalysts towards the degradation of dye. The concentration of surface Ce, the density of defects Ce(III) sites (increased by doping and sulfation treatment) and the surface area appear to be among the most important parameters affecting the catalytic activity. Impregnation of ceria with different metals did not show a positive effect on the reactivity of this material in Fenton process. A possible mechanism for the activation of H2O2 was discussed in details according to all the experimental results and to the literature. From a mechanistic viewpoint, it is shown using FTIR/ATR and liquid UV-Vis spectroscopic measurements that the adsorption of the anionic dye is highly pH-dependent and proceeds via electrostatic interactions with surface metal centers. A possible pathway for Orange degradation is proposed on the basis of qualitative and quantitative detection of intermediate compounds, in liquid phase and on catalyst surface, using various techniques (FTIR/ATR, DR-UV-VIS, HPLC and GC/MS)

Yttria stabilized zirconia (YSZ) is the state of the art ceramic top coat material used for TBC applications. The desire to achieve a higher engine efficiency of agas turbine engine by increasing the turbine inlet temperature has pushed YSZ toits upper limit. Above 1200°C, issues such as poor phase stability, high sinteringrates, and susceptibility to CMAS (calcium magnesium alumino silicates) degradation have been reported for YSZ based TBCs. Among the new materials,gadolinium zirconate (GZ) is an interesting alternative since it has shown attractive properties including resistance to CMAS attack. However, GZ has a poor thermo-chemical compatibility with the thermally grown oxide leading to poor thermal cyclic performance of GZ TBCs and that is why a multi-layered coating design seems feasible.This work presents a new approach of depositing GZ/YSZ multi-layered TBCs by the suspension plasma spray (SPS) process. Single layer YSZ TBCs were also deposited by SPS and used as a reference.The primary aim of the work was to compare the thermal conductivity and thermal cyclic life of the two coating designs. Thermal diffusivity of the YSZ single layer and GZ based multi-layered TBCs was measured using laser flash analysis (LFA). Thermal cyclic life of as sprayed coatings was evaluated at 1100°C, 1200°C and 1300°C respectively. It was shown that GZ based multi-layered TBCs had a lower thermal conductivity and higher thermal cyclic life compared to the single layer YSZ at all test temperatures. The second aim was to investigate the isothermal oxidation behaviour and erosion resistance of the two coating designs. The as sprayed TBCs were subjected toisothermal oxidation test at 1150°C. The GZ based multi-layered TBCs showed a lower weight gain than the single layer YSZ TBC. However, in the erosion test,the GZ based TBCs showed lower erosion resistance compared to the YSZ singlelayer TBC. In this work, it was shown that SPS is a promising production technique and that GZ is a promising material for TBCs.

In heterogeneous catalysis, promoting the activity of the catalytic metals is long known as an important method to make a process more efficient and viable. Noble metals have been promoted classically by a chemical coverage of an ionic solution on the surface of the catalyst or using inert support, e.g., silica or alumina, allowing an increase of the dispersion of the catalyst. Therefore, new methods of promotion needed to be better explored to improve the efficiency of metal and metal oxide catalysts. One way of enhancing the catalyst’s activity is to disperse the noble metal at the nanoscale using an active type of support that is ion-conducting. Not only lattice ions can be exchanged with the surface of the nanoparticles but it can also engage in the oxidation reaction on the surface, resulting in what is known as metal-support interaction (MSI). Another method of improving the catalytic activity is to polarize the catalyst, allowing ions to migrate from a solid electrolyte to the gas-exposed surface, in a phenomenon known as electrochemical promotion of catalysis (EPOC). The change in the ions concentration on the surface would change the adsorption energy of the gaseous reactants and enhance or supress the catalytic rate. In this thesis, the effect of supporting nanoparticles of noble and non-noble metal (oxides) (Pt, Ru, Ir, Ni) was studied for the case of ionic and ionic-electronic conducting supports (CeO2, TiO2, YSZ). The enhancement in their catalytic rate was found and correlated to an electrochemical property, the exchange current density. Then, using isotopically-labeled oxygen, the oxygen exchange ability of the conductive oxides was evaluated when supporting Ir and Ru nanoparticles and correlated with the results from C3H8 isotopic oxidation reaction, which showed the extent of involvement of oxygen from the support as carried by the isotopically-labeled CO2 produced. Following this, electrochemical promotion of catalysis experiments were performed for different reactant/catalyst systems (C2H4 - Pt, Ru; C3H8 - Pt; CH4 - Pd, Ni9Pd). In the first system, the main outcome was the functional equivalence found for the MSI and EPOC effect in promoting the catalysts as experiments were performed at different temperatures, reactants partial pressures and polarization values. In the case of C3H8/Pt, the novel dispersion of Pt on an intermediate supporting layer (LSM/GDC) was found as a feasible method to obtain long stability of the catalyst while electrochemically promoting the rate of reaction. For CH4 oxidation, the polarization of the Pd nanoparticles showed continuous oxidation of the bulk of the catalyst resulting in a continuous increase of the catalytic rate. The Ni9Pd synthesized in a way to form a core/double-shell layer of Ni/Pd resulted in an enhanced catalytic rate and enhanced stability compared to stand-alone Pd. And lastly, to comprehend the ions’ effect in the electrochemical promotion and the non-Faradaic nature of the phenomena, density-functional theory (DFT) modeling was used to demonstrate the increase of the heat of adsorption of reactants depending on their electronegative/positive nature.

Biofilms represent universal strategy for bacterial survival. Living in form of biofilms, bacteria acquire wide range of advantages over planktonically growing cultures. It can be assumed that nearly 99% of world bacterial population is living in form of biofilms. There are benefits and drawbacks associated with bacterial biofilms for mankind. Life in biofilms makes pathogens more effective and persistent through higher antibiotic resistance and helps them to hide before immune system of the host. Mycobacteria, which are capable of forming biofilms on variety of surfaces, differ from most of other bacteria by unique composition of their cell wall. It provides them with high resistance against physical or chemical damage. This is one of the reasons for considering Mycobacterium tuberculosis as a highly potent pathogen. The studies of mycobacterial biofilms are motivated by effort to improve or find new therapeutic methods. This work is aimed at morphological and proteomic comparative analyses of biofilms obtained from Mycobacterium smegmatis grown on surface of glass and silica/zirconium beads, on liquid medium surface or grown submerged in shaken planktonic culture. We have developed technique for preparation of "floating" biofilm sample to be observed in SEM. We have shown that the growth of...

Streptomyces, filamentous Gram-positive bacteria are producers of more than 70% of antibiotics used in human therapy and agriculture. They are remarkable because of their complex life cycle (morphological differentiation) which leads to a formation of dormant spores able to survive unfavorable living conditions and allowing long-term survival of the organism. Soil represents their mostly natural living environment. In laboratory conditions they are cultivated in liquid media or on agar. We have developed in our laboratory two phase cultivation system which allows quantitative and reproducible preparation of samples for proteomic, transcriptomic and metabolomic analyses of Streptomycetes differentiation. The system is composed of inert micro- beads submerged in liquid medium. We used two types of micro-beads in our studies, glass and zirconia/silica beads. We followed the surface growth and differentiation of Streptomycetes on both types of beads using optical and electron microscopy (SEM) techniques. We observed major growth and higher antibiotic production on glass beads. Another difference we observed was in size and shape of colonies. In further research, using comparative proteomics, we attempted to identify proteins which might be responsible for recognition and adhesion of Streptomycetes to...

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Statement of problem: Yttria-partially stabilized tetragonal zirconia polycrystal (Y-TZP) all-ceramic restorations have been reported to suffer from chipping or cracking of the veneering porcelain (VP) as the most common complication. There is little information in the literature regarding the influence of surface treatment on VP shear bond strength to Y-TZP after cyclic loading. Purpose of this study: The goals of this study were (1) to investigate the influence of zirconia surface treatments on veneering porcelain shear bond strength and (2) to investigate the influence of cyclic loading on the shear bond strength between VP and Y-TZP. Materials and Methods: 48 cylinder–shaped specimens (6mm in diameter and 4mm in height) were divided into 4 groups containing 12 specimens each according to the surface treatment. As a control group (C), no further treatment was applied to the specimens after grinding. Group H was heat-treated as a pretreatment according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. Group S was airborne-particle abraded with 50 µm alumina (Al2O3) particles under a pressure of 0.4 MPa for 10 seconds. In the group SH, the heat-treatment was performed after the airborne-particle abrasion. A VP cylinder (2.4 mm in diameter and 2 mm in height) was applied and fired on the prepared Y-TZP specimens. The shear bond strength was tested using a universal testing machine. Six specimens from each group were subjected to fatigue (10,000cycles, 1.5Hz, 10N load) before testing. Results: The 3-way ANOVA showed no statistically significant effect of surface treatment and cyclic loading on shear bond strength. The highest mean shear bond strength was recorded for the air-particle abrasion group without cyclic loading (34.1 + 10 MPa). The lowest mean shear bond strength was the air-particle abrasion group with cyclic loading (10.7 ± 15.4 MPa). Sidak multiple comparisons procedure demonstrated cyclic loading specimens had significantly lower shear bond strength than non-cyclic loading specimens after air-particle abrasion without heat treatment (p=0.0126) Conclusion: Within the limitations of this study, (1) Shear bond strength between Y-TZP and VP is not affected statistically by surface treatment using heat treatment, airborne-particle abrasion, and heat treatment after airborne-particle abrasion. (2) There is significant difference in shear bond strength with air-particle abrasion between with and without cyclic loading groups. This difference suggested that air-particle abrasion should be avoided in clinical situations as a surface treatment without heat treatment.

Reducing the heat losses in heavy-duty diesel engines is of importance for improving engine efficiency and reducing CO2 emissions. Depositing thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) onto engine components has been demonstrated to have great potential to reduce heat loss from the combustion chamber as well as from exhaust components. The overall aim of this thesis is to evaluate the thermal cycling lifetime and thermal insulation properties of TBCs for the purpose of reducing heat losses and thermal fatigue in heavy-duty diesel engines. In the thermal cycling test inside exhaust manifolds, nanostructured yttria-stabilized zirconia (YSZ) performed best, followed by YSZ with conventional microstructure and then La2Zr2O7. Forsterite and mullite could not withstand the thermal cycling conditions and displayed large cracks or spallation. Two sol-gel composite coatings displayed promising thermal cycling performance results in a furnace test under similar conditions. Thermal cycling testing of YSZ coatings having different types of microstructure, in a furnace at temperatures up to 800°C, indicated that the type of microstructure exerted a great influence. For the atmospheric plasma sprayed coatings, a segmented microstructure resulted in the longest thermal cycling lifetime. An even longer lifetime was seen for a plasma spray–physical vapour deposition (PS-PVD) coating. In situ heat flux measurements inside the combustion chamber indicated that plasma-sprayed Gd2Zr2O7 was the TBC material providing the largest heat flux reduction. This is explained by a combination of low thermal conductivity and high reflectance. The plasma-sprayed YSZ and La2Zr2O7 coatings provided very small heat flux reductions. Long-term testing indicated a running-in behaviour of YSZ and Gd2Zr2O7, with a reduction in heat flux due to the growth of microcracks in YSZ and the growth of macrocracks in Gd2Zr2O7. / <p>QC 20170821</p>

Syfte  Syftet med föreliggande studie var att undersöka hur böjhållfastheten på zirkonia påverkas av värmebehandling, ytbehandlingar vid re-cementering och långtidsförvaring i cirka två år. Material och metod I en tidigare studie av A.Cervenka och H. Ekdahl (7) designades 30 stycken zirkoniahättor, med måtten 6 mm i tjocklek och 14 mm i ⌀(Z-CAD, HTL, Metoxit), i ett CAD-program (3shape) och frästes (DATORN 5).  Zirkoniahättorna delades in i tre grupper med tio provkroppar i varje grupp, beroende på ytbehandling: kontrollgrupp (C), sandblästring med aluminiumoxid (A) och skrapning (S). Zirkoniahättorna cementerades på titandistanser. Grupp S och grupp A utsattes för värmebehandling, för att kunna lossa hättorna från titandistanserna. Överskottet av cement avlägsnades genom två olika ytbehandlingar innan recementering (A respektive S). Samtliga grupper termocyklades i 5000 cykler (5° till 55°) innan de utsattes för ett draghållfasthetstest. När föreliggande studie genomfördes hade zirkoniahättorna förvarats torrt i rumstemperatur i cirka två år. Zirkoniahättornas underdel slipades ner till 2,9 mm i tjocklek i en slipmaskin (Phoneix 4000) för att tillverka provkroppar lämpade för utförande av ett biaxialt böjhållfasthetstest. Resultaten analyserades med One-way ANOVA, Tukey’s test med en signifikansnivå på α =0,05.   Resultat Det biaxiala böjhållfasthetstestet påvisade att grupp C hade högst medelvärde och S hade lägst medelvärde. Det fanns inte någon signifikant skillnad mellan grupperna, p&gt;0,05.  Slutsats Inom ramen för föreliggande studie kan följande slutsats dras:  Böjhållfastheten på zirkoniahättor som har långtidsförvarats i cirka två år påverkas inte av tidigare genomförd värmebehandling och olika ytbehandlingar vid recementering / Purpose The purpose of the present study was to investigate how the flexural strength of zirconia is affected by heat treatment, various surface treatments during re-cementation, and long term storage for about two years. Material and method In a previous study by A.Cervenka and H. Ekdahl (7), 30 zirconia copings, measuring 6 mm in thickness and 14 mm in ⌀ (Z-CAD, HTL, Metoxit), were designed in a CAD-program (3shape) and milled (DATORN 5). Zirconia copings were divided into three groups with ten specimens in each group, depending on different surface treatment: control group (C), aluminum oxide abrasion group (A) and scraping (S). Zirconia copings were cemented on titanium abutments. Group S and group A were subjected to heat treatment in order to be able to detach the zirconia copings from titanium abutments. The excess cement was removed by two various surface treatments before the recementation (A respective S). All groups were thermocycled for 5000 cycles (5 ° to 55 °) before being subjected to a tensile strength test. At the time of the present study zirconia copings had been stored dry at room temperature for about two years. The lower part of the zirconia copings was reduced to 2.9 mm in thickness using a grinding machine (Phoneix 4000)in order to produce specimens suitable to performe a biaxial flexural strength test. The results were analyzed with One-way ANOVA, Tukey's test with a significance level of α = 0.05.. Results The biaxial flexural strength test showed that group C had the highest mean and S had the lowest mean. There was no significant difference between the groups, p&gt; 0.05.  Conclusion Within the limitations of this study, the following conclusion can be drawn: The flexural strength of zirconia copings that have been stored for about two years is not affected by previously heat treatment performed during recementation and various surface treatments during recementation.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / The objective of this study was to evaluate the in vivo performance of the hydroxyapatite (HA) coating and hydrofluoric acid (HF) etching zirconia (ZrO) implants and to compare the result with titanium (Ti) implants treated in a similar manner. A total of four different implant types were tested in this study. Threaded zirconia implants with HA coating (Test 1) and zirconia implants with HF-treated surfaces (Test 2) were used to compare to the same size of titanium implants treated in identical fashion (control 1 and control 2). All implants measured about 3.5 mm at the thread diameter and 7.0 mm in total length. Each rabbit received two zirconia and two titanium implants treated in the same manner (either HA-coated or HF-etched). The samples were implanted into the rabbit tibias and retrieved at 6 weeks. Upon retrieval, 24 specimens (6 samples for each group) were fixed and dehydrated. The samples were then embedded undecalcified in PMMA for histomorphometry to quantify the bone-to-implant contact (BIC). Another 24 samples were kept in 0.9% saline and were evaluated using removal torque (RT) analysis to assess the strength of the implant-to-bone interface. The histomorphometric examination demonstrated direct bone-to-implant contact for all four groups. HA particle separation from the implants surface was seen in a majority of the HA-coated samples. No signs of inflammation or foreign body reaction were found during examination. Due to the HA particle smear contamination in the ZrO-HA group, no data was collected in this group. The mean BIC at the first three threads of the Ti-HA, Ti-HF and ZrO-HF were 57.78±18.22%, 46.41±14.55% and 47.41±14.05%, respectively. No statistically significant difference was found pair-wise among these three groups. When comparing the BIC data with the machined-surface implants, a statistically significant difference was found between the Ti-HA versus Ti implant group and the Ti-HF versus Ti implant group. The mean bone area (BA) at the first three threads for Ti-HA, Ti-HF and ZrO-HF showed statistically significant difference (p<0.05) between the ZrO-HF and Ti-HA groups, favoring the ZrO-HF group. The value of the peak removal force could only be collected from the Ti-HA group during the removal torque test. The mean RT value for the Ti-HA group was 24.39±2.58 Ncm. When comparing the RT result with our pilot study using machined-surface implants, the Ti-HA group showed statistically significant (p<0.05) higher values than the machined-surface Ti implants. The result of this study proves the in vivo biocompatibility of all four implant types tested. In the three measurable implant groups, the histomorphologic analysis showed comparable osseointegration properties in this animal model.