Bioactive hydroxyapatite coating on titanium-niobium alloy through a sol-gel process

Hydroxyapatite (HA) was coated on the surface of a titanium-niobium (Ti-Nb) alloy by a sol-gel process. Triethyl phosphite and calcium nitrate were used as the phosphorus (P) and calcium (Ca) precursors respectively to prepare a Ca/P sol solution. The Ti-Nb alloy was dip-coated in the sol and heated at 600°C for 30 minutes. X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis indicated the major phase constituent of the coating after heat treatment was HA. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation showed that a few cracks were distributed on the HA coating. The in-vitro bioactivity of the HA coated Ti-Nb alloy was assessed using a cell culture of SaOS-2 osteoblast-like cells. The density of cell attachment was determined by MTT assay; the cell morphology was observed by SEM. Results indicated that the density of cell attachment on the surface of the Ti-Nb alloy was significantly increased by HA coating. Cell morphology observation showed that cells attached, spread and grew well on the HA coated surface. It can be concluded that the HA coating improved the in-vitro bioactivity of Ti-Nb alloy effectively.