This paper presents material and technological studies on lab-on-chip (LOC) devices as a first step towards biocompatible and reliable research on microscopic fungi and soil organisms on a microscale. This approach is intended to respond to the growing need for environmental control and protection, by means of modern, miniaturized, portable and dependable microfluidics instrumentation. The authors have presented herein long-term, successful cultivation of different fungi representatives (with emphasis put on Cladosporium macrocarpum) in specially fabricated all-glass LOCs. Notable differences were noted in the development of these creatures on polymer, polydimethylosiloxane (PDMS) cultivation substrates, revealing the uncommon morphological character of the fungi mycelium. The utility of all-glass LOCs was verified for other fungi representatives as well –  Fusarium culmorum and Pencilium expansum, showing technical correspondence and biocompatibility of the devices. On that basis, other future applications of the solution are possible, covering, e.g. investigation of additional, environmentally relevant fungi species. Further development of the LOC instrumentation is also taken into consideration, which could be used for cultivation of other soil organisms and study of their mutual relationships within the integrated microfluidic device.

Biobased hydrogels are three-dimensional polymeric matrices with a unique high water-holding capacity, which are mainly obtained from polysaccharides and proteins. Such a variety of natural polymer structures offers a range of hydrogel products with interesting physicochemical and biological properties. Nowadays, these matrices are already used in many industrial and environmental fields, which is considered extremely important. Moreover, the literature on the subject is constantly expanding, especially in areas of scientific research. The main purpose of this article is to briefly review the current development of matrices composition and properties of hydrogels of natural origin, considered as functional platforms in three application areas, primarily in biocatalysis, nutrition and medicine. The description of individual issues in the present article is supported by examples of case studies described in our previously published research papers, as well as considered in current projects of our research group.

The effect of plastic deformation process on the dissolution rate of biocompatible Mg alloys was investigated. Two biocompatible MgLi1Ca0,2Zn1 and MgLi1Ca1Zn1 alloys were selected for the study. The alloys were deformed on a 100T press at a temperature of 350°C by conventional extrusion and by the equal channel angular extrusion process (ECAE). The grain size analysis showed a high degree of the grain refinement from approximately 110 mm in the initial state to 2.8 mm after the 3rd pass of the ECAE process. Compared to as-cast state, the degree of strengthening has increased after plastic forming. The results of biodegradation tests have shown a significant increase in corrosion rate after both conventional extrusion and ECAE, although after subsequent ECAE passes, this rate was observed to slightly decrease in the MgLi1Ca1Zn1 alloy. Based on the results of macro- and microstructure examinations, the corrosion progress in samples after the extrusion process was described.

Poly(glycerol succinate) – PGSu – is one of glycerol polyesters which has focused nowadays the interest of scientists developing new biomaterials. Probably the polyester could be used as a drug carrier or as a cell scaffold in tissue engineering. Due to its potential use in medicine, it is extremely important to develop a synthesis and then optimize it to obtain a material with desired properties. In this work one flask two-step polycondensation of glycerol and succinic anhydride to PGSu is presented. Synthesis was optimized with the simplex method and also described using a second-degree equation with two variables (temperature and time) to better find the optimum conditions. PGSu was characterized by FTIR spectroscopy, NMR spectroscopy, degree of esterification was determined, and also molecular weight was calculated for each experiment using Carothers equation. A new synthesis route was developed and optimized. Temperature and time influence on molecular weight and esterification degree of obtained polyester are presented. Based on experiments conducted in this work, it was possible to obtain poly(glycerol succinate) with molecular weight of 6.7 kDa.

In this paper there are presented some results obtained by open circuit potential and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measurements from studies performed on the behavior of tribocorrosion on metallic implant biomaterials as: 304L stainless steel, Co/nano-CeO2 nanocomposite layer and Ti6Al4V untreated and oxidized alloy to form a nanoporous TiO2 film. The open circuit potential technique used in measuring the tribocorrosion process provide information on the active or passive behavior of the investigated metallic biomaterial in the biological fluid, before, during friction and after stopping the friction. Thus it clearly show a better behavior of Co/nano-CeO2 nanocomposite coatings as compared with 304L stainless steel to tribocorrosion degradation in Hank solution; as well the better behavior of nanoporous TiO2 film formed annodically on Ti6Al4V alloy surface as compared with untreated alloy to tribocorrosion degradation in artificial saliva Fusayama Meyer. The slight decrease in polarization resistance value resulted from electrochemical impedance spectroscopy measured during friction in the case of the Co/nano-CeO2 nanocomposite layer (four times smaller), compared to 304L stainless steel, whose polarization resistance decreased more than 1000 times during friction shows the higher sensitivity of stainless steel to degradation by tribocorrosion. The same behavior is observed when comparing the polarization resistance of untreated titanium alloy recorded during friction that is about 200 hundred times smaller, while the specific polarization resistance of the oxidized alloy with the nanoporous film of titanium oxide, decreases very little during friction, highlighting the beneficial effect of modifying the titanium alloy by anodic oxidation to increase its resistance to the degradation process by tribocorrosion.

In this study, the bio state of the alloy produced in the modified metal injection system was monitored after sintering. A new system operating with high gas pressure, far from the traditional injection model, has been established for material production. In this system, 316L stainless steel powders were molded using a PEG/PMMA/SA polymer recipe. During molding, approximately 60% 316L and 40% binder by volume were used. The samples obtained were sintered at different temperatures (1100-1300°C) after de-binding. Density measurement (Archimedes) and hardness tests (HV1) of the samples were measured as 6.74 g/cm3 and ~285 HV1, respectively. A potentiodynamic corrosion test was applied to monitor the effect of the amount of oxide in the structure of the 316L stainless steel produced. Corrosion tests were carried out in artificial body solutions. The corrosion rate was measured at the level of 17.08×10–3 mm/y. In terms of biocompatibility, a cytotoxicity test was applied to the samples and the life course of the bacteria was monitored. For the 316L alloys produced, the % vitality reached approximately 103%.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the mechanical properties of beta type aged Ti-4Mo-4Cr-X (X = V, Sn, Zr) quaternary alloy for use as a cardiovascular stent. Titanium (Ti) alloys were fabricated using a vacuum arc remelting furnace process. To homogenize the specimens of each composition and remove the micro segregation, all cast specimens were subjected to homogenization at 850℃ for 4 h, which was 100℃ higher than the β-transus temperature of 750℃. The tensile strength and elongation of the aged Ti-4Mo-4Cr-X (X = V, Sn, Zr) alloys were increased as compared to the homogenized alloys. In addition, many α/β interface boundaries formed after aging treatment at 450°C, which acted as inhibitors of strain and caused an increase in tensile strength. The elongation of Ti-4Mo-4Cr-X alloys consisting of α + β phases after aging treatment was improved by greater than 30%. Results of a potentiodynamic polarization test showed that the lowest current density of Ti-4Mo-4Cr-4Sn with 1.05 × 10–8 A/cm2 was obtained. The present Ti-4Mo-4Cr-X alloys showed better corrosion characteristics as compared to the 316L stainless steel and L605 (Co-Cr alloy) cardiovascular stent alloys.

Scientists and medics are still searching for new metallic materials that can be used in medicine, e.g., as material for implants. The following article proposes materials based on titanium with vital elements prepared by combined powder metallurgy and arc melting methods. Four compositions of Ti-28Ta-9Nb, Ti-28Ta-19Nb, Ti-28Ta-9Zr and Ti-28Ta-19Zr (wt.%) have been prepared. The tested material was thoroughly analyzed by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. Qualitative phase analysis using X-ray diffraction showed the presence of two phases, α' and β titanium. In addition, a microhardness test was conducted, and the material was characterized in terms of corrosion properties. It was found that the corrosion resistance decreases with an increase of the β phase presence.

This work investigated two titanium-based alloys with a constant tantalum content and variable contents of alloy additives – niobium and zirconium. The Ti-30Ta-10Zr-20Nb (wt.%) and Ti-30Ta-20Zr-10Nb (wt.%) alloys were obtained using a combination of powder metallurgy and arc melting methods. The influence of alloying additives on the structure and properties of the Ti-Ta-Nb-Zr system was studied using, among others: X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. The X-ray diffraction confirmed the single-β-phase structure of both alloys. In addition, the microscopic analysis revealed that a higher amount of zirconium favoured the formation of larger grains. However, the microhardness analysis indicated that the alloy with the higher niobium content had the higher microhardness. Importantly, the in vitro corrosion study revealed that the addition of niobium promoted the better corrosion resistance of the investigated alloy.

Production of Ti-based alloys with non-toxic elements give the possibility to control the market of medical applications, using alloys with appropriate properties for human body, contributing to improving the health of the population. Determination of parameters of atomic and magnetic structure of functional biomaterials demonstrating interesting physical phenomena and being promising for medical applications in a wide range of thermodynamic parameters; exploration of the role of cluster aggregation in the formation of physical properties. Paper is about the obtaining of the new titanium system alloys, the determining their characteristics and structure, and obtaining information concerning phase transitions and some mechanical properties. Ti15Mo7ZrxTa (5 wt.%, 10 wt.% and 15 wt.%) alloys developed shows a predominant β phase highlighted by optical microstructure and XRD patterns. A very low young modulus of alloys was obtained (43-51 GPa) which recommends them as very good alloys for orthopedic applications.

The aim of this paper is to determine the influence of biomaterial in the binder composition on the quality of reclaim from furan no-bake sands. The biomaterial is introduced into the moulding sand in order to accelerate the biodegradation of post-regeneration dust and thus to reduce the amount of harmful waste from foundries in landfills. This addition, however, can’t deteriorate the technological properties of the moulding sand, including its ability to mechanical regeneration. Chemically bonded moulding sands are characterized by high ability to mechanical regeneration, which reduces the consumption of the raw material and costs related to their transport and storage. A side effect of the regeneration process is the formation of a large amount of post-regeneration dusts. According to the tendencies observed in recent years, moulding processes must meet high requirements connected to environmental protection including problems related to the disposal of generated wastes. A partial replacement of synthetic binding materials with biomaterials may be one of scientific research directions on the production of innovative foundry moulding and core sands. The conducted regeneration tests presented in this paper initially proved that biomaterial slightly decreases the quality of reclaim from moulding sand with its addition. However, its ability to regeneration increases with time of the process. In previous research authors tested biodegradability of the dust remaining after the regeneration process. The tests proved that moulding sand with biomaterial added at the stage of the production process is characterized by about three times better biodegradability than the same moulding sand without additive.