Ultrasonic aqueous synthesis of corrosion resistant hydroxyapatite coating on magnesium alloys for the application of long-term implant

For the orthopedic application, the promising biodegradable magnesium alloys gained increasing attention. In order to improve the interface bonding strength and corrosion resistance of magnesium alloys, a novel ultrasonic aqueous synthesis approach was performed to produce hydroxyapatite coating on biodegradable magnesium alloys. The effect of ultrasonic time on the composition, microstructure, interface bonding strength and corrosion resistance of HA coated magnesium alloys were investigated. A dense and crack-free HA coating was synthesized by only ultrasonic cavitation for 1 h in the aqueous solution containing Ca2+ and PO43- ions and the coating was constituted of bamboo leaf-like HA staggered irregularly, which endowed magnesium alloy with a sufficient interface bonding strength of 18.1 +/- 2.2 MPa. The electrochemical performance and mineralization ability of the coated magnesium alloys were carried out in the simulated body fluids. Compared with bare magnesium samples, the coated samples presented excellent corrosion resistance and could rapidly induce apatite formation after only three days of immersion in the simulated body fluid (SBF). Moreover, in the immersion test of 90 days, HA coatings could provide a long-term protection for magnesium alloy substrate, indicating that ultrasonic aqueous synthesized HA coating could be acted as a promising modified biomaterial on magnesium alloys for the orthopedic application.