Investigation of organically modified titanium substrates with SERS

Materials for orthopaedic or dental implants may be further improved by che mical modification of biocompatible surfaces applying the sol-gel chemistry . The aim is to direct the adhesion of proteins, which stimulate the adhesi on of load bearing cells, like osteoblasts. In this work, titanium substrat es were coated with a titanium(IV)ethoxide-lysinate complex by means of sol -gel technique. Subsequently a thin layer of silver was deposited on top of the substrate by vapour deposition. A comparison of the SERS and the corre sponding normal Raman spectra reveals a selective enhancement of some vibra tional modes of the sol-gel layer of the modified substrate. (C) 1999 Elsev ier Science B.V. All rights reserved.