Development of Hydroxyapatite Coating on Titanium Alloy for Orthopedic Applications

Biomaterials are synthetic materials that are utilized to restore or replace damaged or diseased human body parts, allowing them to regain their original form and function to improve the quality and longevity of human life. Titanium and its alloys have long been employed in biomedical applications due to its remarkable features, such as good biocompatibility, resistance to bodily fluid effects, tremendous tensile strength, flexibility, and high corrosion resistance. Titanium and its alloys have a unique combination of strength and biocompatibility that makes them suitable for medical or recreational purposes. If these materials are used as bio-implant, it releases toxic ions like aluminium and vanadium in the body fluid environment after implantation. [1-3] To overcome the problem, Ti6Al4V alloy was coated with hydroxyapatite (HAp), which provides better bioactivity, osteocompatibility, and antibacterial activity. This layer prevents the further passing of ions from the biomaterial and improves the tissue growth on the bone. The present work is to synthesize HAp from snail shells using a simple wet precipitation method.[4] The waste material of snail shells can be utilized for the development of the HAp, which was non-toxic, eco-friendly, and also to improve bioactivity and biocompatibility of the biomaterials. The prepared HAp was coated on the Ti6Al4V alloy by using the electro-deposition method.[5] Thermal analysis of obtained CaO powder was investigated by TG–DTA analysis. The coated alloy was characterized by various techniques such as FTIR, XRD, TG-DTA, FESEM, EDAX, AFM, and antibacterial activity.