Sol–gel synthesis and characterisation of nanoporous zirconium titanate coated on 316L SS for biomedical applications

In this study, the nanoporous zirconium titanate was prepared using sol–gel process and coated over 316L SS implants via dip-coating technique. XRD patterns of zirconium titanate are crystalline and orthorhombic in structure. FT-IR spectra showed a broad band between 3,500 and 3,300 cm−1, which was assigned to fundamental stretching vibrations of hydroxyl groups. The set of overlapping peaks in the range of 810–520 cm−1 are related to Zr–O and Zr–O–Ti groups. SEM-EDAX and TEM showed the surface morphology of coated zirconium titanate to be porous and uniform. Excellent adhesion of the coating to the substrate has been achieved. The contact angle value was found to be 12°. The coating acts as a barrier layer to the metallic implants and induces the formation of hydroxyapatite layer on the metal surfaces. These results revealed that the nano zirconium titanate coated 316L SS exhibit higher bioactivity compared to that of uncoated 316L SS.