Electrohydrodynamic deposition of nanotitanium doped hydroxyapatite coating for medical and dental applications

Nano-sized titanium containing hydroxyaptite has been prepared, the particle size of nanoTiHA was shown to be 12-20 nm in width and 30-40 nm in length, smaller than that of nanoHA. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed the phase purity of nanoTiHA produced. Antimicrobical assays demonstrated that nanoTiHA has excellent growth inhibitory properties, and is able to inhibit the growth of all bacterial strains tested, both Gram-negative and Gram-positive species, including multi-antibiotic resistant EMRSA 15 and EMRSA 16 'superbugs'. Biocidal activity against all four Staphylococcus spp was also shown at the concentration tested. Nanostuctured TiHA coating was successfully deposited onto Ti surfaces using EHDA spraying under optimized processing conditions with the thickness of the coating being further controlled by the spraying time. All of the nanoTiHA coated Ti surfaces were able to support human osteoblast (HOB) cell attachment and growth. The coating thickness did not significantly influence the proliferation of HOB cells on nanoTiHA coatings, while the ability of nanoTiHA coating to support HOB cell differentiation was demonstrated from the alkaline phosphatase activity. Our study showed that nanoTiHA has excellent anti-bacterial properties and the thin nanoTiHA coating was also able to support the attachment, growth and differentiation of HOB cells. Therefore, nanoTiHA coating could pave the way for the development of the next generation of dental and orthopedic implants by offering anti-infection potential in addition to osteoconductivity.