Characterization and tribological behaviour of Indian clam seashell-derived hydroxyapatite coating applied on titanium alloy by plasma spray technique

Various hydroxyapatite (HA) powders synthesized at different temperatures are deposited on titanium alloy by using an atmospheric plasma spray process. These different HA powders were synthesized from Indian clam seashells through the hydrothermal technique at varying temperatures from 700 to 1000 degrees C for a 2 h time duration in our previous study. The synthesized HA powders are spray-dried to obtain agglomerated powders suitable for spraying during the coating application. Crystallite size, Ca/P ratio, and crystallinity of agglomerated HA powders and their respective coatings are estimated by standard methods. The microstructure and phases of the feedstock and coating materials are investigated by using a field-emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) and X-ray diffractometer (XRD), respectively. Further, the HA coatings are characterized in terms of surface roughness, microhardness, porosity, adhesion strength, and wear resistance through the stylus profilometer, Vickers micro-hardness tester, image analysis technique, scratch tester, and ball-on-disc tribometer, respectively. The average surface roughness (Ra) and porosity of the coating are decreased with an increase in the synthesis temperature. The minimum Ra and porosity obtained for the 1000 degrees C coating sample suggest a high degree of melting of such powder particles. However, the highest adhesion strength noticed in the case of the 900 degrees C coating sample is due to the high compatibility of such coating material with Ti-alloy substrate in terms of thermal properties. The 900 degrees C coating sample has also shown the highest microhardness and wear-resistance properties due to its maximum crystallinity among all the HA coatings.