Research Projects

The most commonly used metal alloys for manufacturing stents platforms include 316L stainless steel, cobalt-chromium, nitinol, tantalum, and titanium. Cobalt-based alloys offer advantages such as flexibility, radial strength, and better radiopacity. However, titanium faces issues with its mechanical strength during stent development, making it a poor radiopaque element. The drug eluting stents (DES) are designed to deliver drugs for a specific period at the injury location to reduce plaque formation. This research focuses on a strategy to prevent thrombosis and enhance cell adhesion by loading sirolimus drug followed by polyethylene glycol (PEG) coating on ultra fine grain refined (UFG) cpTi. UFG is obtained through repetitive corrugation and straightening (RCS) technique, and the processed cpTi is modified with alkali treatment and polymer coating to overcome titanium's disadvantages. Surface modification on titanium with alkali treatment develops a nanoporous area for drug encapsulation, followed by coating with polyethylene glycol (PEG), which controls the rate of drug elution. This shift in the optical energy band helps overcome challenges in post-clinical visualization of the stent. A continuum model of the Ritger-Peppas model is proposed to monitor drug release kinetics from modified titanium surfaces, allowing for better simulation of the release process. The multifunctional UFG titanium metal-polymer-based drug-eluting stent enhances the activity of anticoagulant rudiments in the coronary artery by inhibiting the assembly of thromboxane agents.

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