MC3T3-E1 cells' response and osseointegration of bioactive sphene-titanium oxide composite coatings fabricated by a hybrid technique of microarc oxidation and heat treatment on titanium

Sphene-titanium oxide composite coatings are prepared by a hybrid technique of microarc oxidation (MAO) and heat treatment on titanium. The average roughness of the MAO coating increases after heat treatment due to the crystallization and crystal growth of the MAO coating. The wetting ability, roughness, phase composition and surface topological structure of the composite coatings have positive effects on the MC3T3-E1 cell attachment, proliferation and alkaline phosphatase activity. The composite coatings do not cause any hemolysis effect. Furthermore, they also do not give rise to any adverse reactions in vivo according to micro-CT images, radiographs and histological analysis. At the same time, the sphene-titanium oxide composite coatings show perfect osseointegration in rabbit tibia in vivo and display the higher interface bonding strength with rabbit tibia compared to the MAO coating without heat treatment, because the composite coatings have higher bioactivity, good cell response and mechanical properties, and so on.