Apatite Coating on Titanium Samples Obtained by Powder Metallurgy

Titanium and its alloys are widely used as orthopedic and dental implant materials. However, they cannot bond with bone directly and promote new bone formation. It is desirable to provide a bone-bonding ability to Ti metal and its alloys. This ability can be achieved by surface modification such as chemical treatments. The aim of this study was to evaluate in SBF the apatite-forming ability of Ti subjected to different pre-treatments. Titanium laminated and samples Ti obtained by powder metallurgy were compared. The pretreatments studied were the alkali-treated; alkali and heat-treated; acid and alkali-treated; alkali-CaCl2-heat and hot water treatment. The groups were soaking in SBF for 1, 3, 6 and 9 days in equipment with constant agitation at 36.5°C. The obtained coatings were analyzed by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy on the infrared (DRIFT) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The apatite formation was present in all groups; however, the apatite-coating was more effective in samples obtained by powder metallurgy.