In November, our chief engineer Lukas Kluy successfully defended his dissertation entitled “Nanostructuring of titanium alloys using thermomechanical process chains”. His work opens up new perspectives for the production of low-infection and durable implants.

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria pose a challenge to the complication-free healing of implants. One promising solution is nanostructured implants that prevent bacterial colonisation and stimulate bone growth. Until now, the production of such nanostructures has been limited to the laboratory scale. Mr. Kluy first developed a process model for the design of thermomechanical process chains that enables the adjustment of microstructural properties in titanium alloys. He then investigated the continuous nanostructuring of the alloy Ti-13Nb-13Zr (TNZ). To this end, he developed two innovative, severe plastic deformation processes and combined these with heat treatments. Dental implants and bone plates made from the nanostructured material NanoTNZ were then manufactured and tested. These showed promising improvements in biomedical implant-bone interaction and emphasise the social benefits of his research.

The PtU thanks Mr. Kluy for his long-standing dedication and wishes him all the best and continued success in his professional and personal future.