In vitro bioactive behavior of hydroxylapatite-coated porous Al(2)O(3)

To produce bioactive materials for bone substitutes, two major deposition methods, suspension method and thermal deposition method, were employed to develop bioactive, mechanically strong, and porous ceramics. Hydroxylapatite (HA) has been uniformly coated onto inner pore surfaces of reticulated alumina substrates. It has been found that the in vitro bioactivity of HA coatings was affected by both structural crystallinity and specific surface area. Well-crystallized HA heat-treated at high temperatures has resulted in reduced bioactivity. The bio-reaction rate was found to increase with the surface area of HA. We have found that the stability of the well-crystallized HA is associated with the high driving force required for the formation of hydroxy-carbonate apatite (HCA) phase.