Coating suitable for surgical instruments

Abstract

An improved coating and devices using said coating are disclosed The coating is applied in a liquid form and then dried or otherwise cured to form a durable adherent coating resistant to high temperatures and in at least one embodiment possessing hydrophobic properties. In one aspect of the invention the coating formulation contains at least in part an aqueous formulation of silica, such as colloidal silica, and one or more fillers, such as inorganic fillers, and sufficient base, such as potassium hydroxide, to have a pH exceeding about 10.5 during at least part of the formulation process. In another aspect of the invention the coating formulation contains one or more substances that affect its surface free energy such as by reducing the surface free energy to make the cured coating hydrophobic, such surface free energy altering compounds include silanes containing halogens such as fluorine or chlorine and in particular silanes containing one or more hydrolyzable groups attached to at least one silicon atom and a group containing one or more halogens such as chlorine or fluorine. In another aspect of the invention is a surgical instrument at least partially covered by a coating using the formulation of the present invention at least part of such instrument powered by electricity to produce a predetermined surgical effect.

1 . A coating formulation comprising: 
 silica;    at least one inorganic filler; and    a base in an amount so that the coating formulation has a pH of at least 10.5 during at least part of a formulation process.    
   
   
       2 . The coating formulation of  claim 1 , wherein the base comprises: 
 potassium hydroxide.    
   
   
       3 . The coating formulation of  claim 1 , wherein said formulation comprises a solution including water and at least 20 weight percent of said potassium hydroxide.  
   
   
       4 . The coating formulation of  claim 1 , wherein the silica comprises at least one of: 
 colloidal silica; and    amorphous silica.    
   
   
       5 . The coating formulation of  claim 1 , further comprising: 
 at least one alkoxy silane.    
   
   
       6 . The coating formulation of  claim 5 , wherein said at least one alkoxy silane comprises: 
 at least one alkyalkoxysilane.    
   
   
       7 . The coating formulation of  claim 6 , wherein said at least one alkyalkoxysilane includes at least one halogen.  
   
   
       8 . The coating formulation of  claim 7 , wherein said at least one halogen includes at least one of: 
 chlorine; and    fluorine.    
   
   
       9 . The coating formulation of  claim 8 , wherein said at least one alkyalkoxysilane is selected from a group consisting of: 
 fluoroalkyalkoxysilanes; and    chloroalkyalkoxysilanes.    
   
   
       10 . The coating formulation of  claim 9 , wherein said at least one alkyalkoxysilane comprises at least one hydrolyzable inorganic alkylsilyl group.  
   
   
       11 . The coating formulation of  claim 10 , wherein said hydrolyzable inorganic alkylsilyl group is selected from a group consisting of: 
 a methoxysilyl group; and    an ethoxysilyl group.    
   
   
       12 . The coating formulation of  claim 11 , wherein said at least one alkyalkoxysilane comprises at least one of the following: 
 at least one straight halogenalkyl chain; and    at least one branched halogenalkyl chain.    
   
   
       13 . The coating formulation of  claim 12 , wherein said at least one alkyalkoxysilane comprises at least one of the following: 
 at least one chloroalkyl chain; and    fluoroalkyl chain.    
   
   
       14 . The coating formulation of  claim 5 , further comprising at least one of the following: 
 water;    a surfactant; and    a solid.    
   
   
       15 . The coating formulation of  claim 14 , wherein said solid comprises fumed silica.  
   
   
       16 . The coating formulation of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one of the following: 
 a material including a fluorinated carbon chain; and    a material including at least partially hydrolyzed fluorinated silanes; and    a material including at least partially cross-linked hydrolyzed silanes.    
   
   
       17 . The coating formulation of  claim 16 , wherein the base material comprises: 
 potassium hydroxide.    
   
   
       18 . The coating formulation of  claim 1 , wherein said formulation comprises at least 10 weight percent of a solution comprising a colloidal silicate.  
   
   
       19 . The coating formulation of  claim 18 , wherein said solution comprises an alkali metal silicate solution.  
   
   
       20 . The coating formulation of  claim 18 , wherein said solution comprises at least 50 weight percent silica.  
   
   
       21 . The coating formulation of  claim 18 , wherein an average particle size of said colloidal silicate is between 5 nm and 100 nm.  
   
   
       22 . The coating formulation of  claim 1 , wherein said inorganic filler comprises at least one metal and at least one non-metal material selected from a group consisting of: 
 aluminum oxides;    zirconium nitrides;    zirconium carbides;    boron carbides;    silicon oxides;    magnesium-zirconium oxides;    zirconium-silicon oxides;    titanium oxides;    tantalum oxides;    tantalum nitrides;    tantalum carbides;    silicon nitrides;    silicon carbides;    tungsten carbides;    titanium nitrides;    titanium carbides;    nibobium nitrides;    niobium carbides;    vanadium nitrides;    vanadium carbides; and    hydroxyapatite.    
   
   
       23 - 60 . (canceled)