Bone-like apatite coating on Mg-PSZ/Al2O3 composites using bioactive systems

A biomimetic method was used to promote bioactivity on zirconia/alumina composites. The composites were composed of 80 vol% Mg-PSZ and 20 vol% Al2O3. Samples of these bioinert materials were immersed in simulated body fluid (SBF) for 7 days on either a bed of wollastonite ceramics or bioactive glass. After those 7 days, the samples were immersed in a more concentrated solution (1.4 SBF) for 14 days. Experiments were also performed without using a bioactive system during the first stage of immersion. A bone-like apatite layer was formed on the surface of all the materials tested, using wollastonite the bioactive layer was thicker and its morphology was close to that observed on the existing bioactive systems. A thinner apatite layer consisting of small agglomerates was obtained using bioactive glass. The thickness of the ceramic layers was within the range of 15 to 30 microm.