Noam Eliaz, Ph.D.

Noam Eliaz, Ph.D.

Professor, Head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Tel Aviv University

Speech Title:

Electrochemically Deposited Calcium Phosphate Coatings for Dental and Orthopedic Implants – From Fundamental Studies to the Clinics

Abstract:

In recent years, interest has evolved in electrochemically-induced deposition of hydroxyapatite (HAp) and other calcium phosphates as an alternative to the traditional plasma-sprayed process for coating of orthopedic and dental implants. Here, coatings were deposited on commercially pure Ti and Ti-6Al- 4V samples by cathodic polarization. The reaction kinetics was found to be controlled by charge transfer at the interface rather than by mass transport. Two growth modes were observed: instantaneous nucleation and 2D growth, followed by progressive nucleation and 3D growth. As in the human body, HAp formed via transformation of a precursor phase (octacalcium phosphate). The effects of mechanical and chemical surface pre-treatments on the adhesion strength, surface morphology, wettability, and interactions with bone-forming cells and bacteria were also studied. Animal studies were used to quantify osseointegration and evaluate the level of cracking compared to commercial plasma sprayed coatings. The importance of coating solubility in vivo will be discussed. The coatings developed exhibit clear advantages and are currently being scaled-up in industry.

Bio:

Professor Noam Eliaz is the founding Head of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Tel-Aviv University (TAU). He received his B.Sc. and Ph.D. (direct track) in Materials Engineering as well as M.B.A., all cum laude from Ben-Gurion University. He served for three years in the Department of Materials and Failure Analysis of the Israel Air Force. He has published over 350 research publications, including three edited books, and is Editor-in-Chief of the journal Corrosion Reviews. To date, Prof. Eliaz and his colleagues have raised over $3.2 million for research and equipment. He has served as the founding Head of the Materials and Nanotechnologies graduate program at TAU, Chairman of the 14th Israel Materials Engineering Conference, and Chairman of Central Committee for Chemistry Standards at the Standards Institution of Israel. He has garnered numerous awards, including the Fulbright and Rothschild postdoctoral scholarships (1999-2001), T.P. Hoar Award for the best paper published in Corrosion Science (2001), JSPS fellowship (Japan, 2005-7), NACE International’s H. H. Uhlig Award (2010), Fellow Award (2012), and Technical Achievements Award (2014), and Northwestern University's Eshbach scholarship (2013). In 2015 he was elected to the Israel Young Academy. Noam is an 8th generation Israeli. He is married to Billie and the proud father of Ofri, Shahaf and Shalev.