Plasma treatment and rapid pressure-less sintering for fabrication of environmentally friendly hydroxyapatite biocoatings

Electrophoretic deposition (EPD) is a versatile fabrication method allowing the deposition of coatings on substrates with complicated shapes. The main disadvantage of this method, especially in relation to bio applications, lies in hazardous stabilisers frequently used to optimise suspension parameters. This work deals with the plasma treatment of hydroxyapatite (HA) powder for stabilising the suspension without any additives. This approach was already successfully used for alumina powder. EPD of untreated and plasma treated HA powder is performed to compare the final deposits' microstructure. Besides this primary goal, the powder and suspension characteristics are monitored to clarify the effect of plasma treatment on processing and final properties. Moreover, the impact of the rapid sintering approach on deposits' densification is tested. Finally, the suitability of EPD of plasma treated powder for the preparation of homogeneous coating on the orthopaedic screw is manifested.