Induction plasma sprayed Sr and Mg doped nano hydroxyapatite coatings on Ti for bone implant

In this study, we report fabrication of strontium (Sr) and magnesium (Mg) doped hydroxyapatite (HA) coating on commercially pure titanium (Cp-Ti) substrates using inductively coupled radio frequency (RF) plasma spray. HA powder was doped with 1 wt % Sr (Sr-HA) and 1 wt % Mg (Mg-HA), heat treated at 800°C for 6 h and then used for plasma spray coating. X-ray diffraction (XRD) and Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopic (FTIR) analysis indicated that the coatings were primarily composed of phase pure crystalline HA. When compared to undoped HA coating, physical properties such as microstructure, grain size, and adhesive bond strength of the doped HA coatings did not change significantly. Microstructure of the coatings showed coherency in the structure with an average grain size of 200-280 μm HA particles, where each of the HA grains consisted of 20-30 nm sized particles. An average adhesive bond strength of 17 MPa ensured sufficient mechanical strength of the coatings. A chemistry dependent improvement in bone cell-coating interaction was noticed for doped coatings although it had minimal effect on physical properties of the coatings. In vitro cell-materials interactions using human fetal osteoblasts (hFOB) showed better cell attachment and proliferation on Sr-HA coatings compared to HA or Mg-HA coatings. Presence of Sr in the coating also stimulated hFOB cell differentiation and alkaline phosphatase (ALP) expression. Improvement in bioactivity of Sr doped HA coatings on Ti without compromising its mechanical properties makes it an excellent material of choice for coated implant.