Biomimetic apatite layers on plasma-sprayed titanium coatings after surface modification

In this paper, a biomimetic approach to synthesizing an apatite layer on the surface of NaOH-modified titanium coatings in supersaturated solutions containing Ca2+ and HPO42- ions is described. The morphology, composition and structure of the biomimetic apatite layers were investigated with SEM, EDS, XRD and FT-IR techniques. The results obtained indicate that apatite layers with preferred orientation and composition similar to that found in bone can be biomimetically synthesized depending on the ion composition and concentration of the solution. A fibrous and net-like Na-Ti-O compound, formed on the surfaces of plasma-sprayed titanium coatings by NaOH treatment, was thought to be responsible for nucleation and growth of bone-like apatite. It was shown that this biomimetic synthesis of a bone-like apatite layer may be an effective way to produce bioactive surfaces of implants. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.