The goal of this research is to develop an improved method to bond strain gauges onto bone. The specific aims are to i) assess how hydroxyapatite coating configuration and chemical and biological surface layers on the coatings affect the bone-bonding rate and ii) to use the information gained in the first specific aim to create a coating and surface layer combination which causes the fastest bone-bonding. This research could produce a method to sense strain in vivo and thus enable this factor to be used to improve fracture healing, to provide feedback for paraplegics, and to monitor implant stability of artificial joints.
