Plasma spray of biofunctional(Mg, Sr)-substituted hydroxyapatite coatings for titanium alloy implants

Plasma-sprayed hydroxyapatite(HA) coatings have been widely utilized in load-bearing titanium alloy implants. In this study, Mg, Sr co-substituted HA((Mg, Sr)-HA) nano-scale powders have been synthesized, which are further used to prepare(Mg, Sr)-HA coatings on Ti-6 Al-4 V alloys in order to improve the biological functions. The average size of(Mg, Sr)-HA nano particles is ～75 nm. The average bonding strength for(Mg, Sr)-HA coating and samples after heat treatment at 500°C or 600°C for 3 h are26.17 ± 2.11 MPa, 36.07 ± 4.48 MPa and 37.07 ± 2.95 MPa, respectively. There is a significantly increase of bonding strength likely due to low residual stress after heated treatment. MC3 T3-E1 cells show a high proliferation rate when cultured with(Mg, Sr)-HA coating extract compared to the normal culture medium, which also exhibit large extension and deposition of extracellular matrices when adhered on the coating surfaces. Thus, these(Mg, Sr)-HA coatings show high bonding strength and improved biological functions, which offer promising future applications in the fields of orthopedics and dentistry.