N2 Biomedical’s proprietary Ion Implantation Surface Treatment and IBAD Nano-Engineered Coating technologies reduce wear and fretting, and improve the corrosion resistance of metallic substrates. N2 Biomedical’s surface treatments have been used on millions of medical device implants over the past 30 years.

Reduced Wear and Fretting with IonGuard
N2 Biomedical’s proprietary IonGuard® process utilizes direct ion beam bombardment to create a hard, low friction, and hydrophilic surface without changing the bulk properties of the device. This low temperature process has been used to treat millions of medical device implants including metal knees and hips and orthodontic arch wires.
IonGuard® treated Titanium knees show wear properties comparable to Co-Cr devices in a 3 million cycle wear study. IonGuard® treated Titanium hip components release 35 times less metal than untreated parts after 1 million wear cycles.
IonGuard® treated Co-Cr heads remain up to 29% smoother than untreated heads in clinical usage. Multiple clinical studies with multi-year follow-up have demonstrated up to a 40% reduction in wear rates for mating polyethylene surfaces. IonGuard® treated Co-Cr heads have shown superior performance in a 5 million cycle wear simulation test as compared to TiN-coated Co-Cr and comparable wear to ceramic-based heads.
APPLICATIONS
- Knee & Hip Implants
- Extremities & Shoulders
- Fixation devices
BENEFITS
- Increases surface hardness
- Reduces friction
- Improves corrosion resistance
SUBSTRATES
- Titanium
- CoCr
- Stainless steel
Reduced Wear and Fretting with NanoCeramic Coating
N2 Biomedical’s proprietary IBAD Nano-Ceramic process imbeds a nano-engineered ceramic coating onto virtually any metallic, polymeric, or ceramic substrate. Some of the wear and/or corrosion resistant coatings we offer include, Al2O3, ZrO2, TiO2, and SiO2.



APPLICATIONS
- Knee & Hip Implants
- Extremities & Shoulders
- Fixation devices
BENEFITS
- Increases surface hardness
- Reduces friction
- Improves corrosion resistance
- Reduces tackiness
SUBSTRATES
- Titanium
- CoCr
- Stainless steel
- Silicone
- Polyurethane
- PEEK
- PBAX

Increased Lubricity
N2 Biomedical’s proprietary IonGuard® surface treatments and IBAD NanoCoatings can be engineered to reduce surface friction and improve hydrophillicity on a variety of polymer, metal and ceramic substrates. Our highly adherent coatings reduce the surface friction and tackiness without changing the bulk properties of the device.
APPLICATIONS
- Dental Archwires
- Catheters
- Venous Access
BENEFITS
- Reduces friction
- Increases wettability
SUBSTRATES
- Titanium
- CoCr
- Stainless steel
- Silicone
- Polyurethane
Substrates Commonly Treated with Ion Implantation and Ion Beam Assisted Deposition
Improved surface
hardness
Reduced
Friction
Reduced
Corrosion
Improved
Wettability
Reduced
Biofilm
Improved
Antimicrobial
Improved
Biocompatibility
Improved
Aesthetics