EFFECT OF PLASMA SPRAYED α-TRI-CALCIUM PHOSPHATE (αTCP)DEPOSITION OVER METALLIC BIOMATERIAL SURFACES FOR BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS

Metallic biomaterials are of great interest due to their higher mechanical properties.However, most biological reactions occur at surfaces and interfaces, and the performance of the metallic biomaterials is directly affected by the performance of human body and the biological reactions in the host human body.Most of the metallic biomaterials do not meet the requirements in terms of both surface and bulk properties for biomedical applications.An effective way for making a clinically appealing biomaterial is to introduce surface modification with the biocompatible material to bring the bio functionality onto the surface while the mechanical performance of the base metal is not compromised.α-tricalcium phosphate (α-TCP) is one of the promising biocompatible ceramic used for biomedical applications.Some of the previous works on α-TCP coatings had discussion on bioactivity and/ or corrosion resistance of the metallic biomaterials.However, there is a little information on the applicability of α-TCP for a variety of biomaterials in connection with the deposition methods.In this research work, the effects of (α-TCP) coating on three metallic substrates in combination with two coating methods were investigated.Three metallic substrates, S316L, Ti-6Al-4V and AZ31, were coated using electrodeposition and plasma-spraying.The characterization, microhardness, corrosion behavior and bioactivity of the coated samples were determined.The characterization of the (α-TCP) coating by XRD and FTIR confirmed the presence of α-TCP.The results showed that the addition of α-TCP coating had improved, hardness, the bioactivity and corrosion resistance significantly.The plasma-sprayed substrates were found to be more effective as they formed less cracks.Thus, α-TCP coated metallic substrates could be considered as a promising method for improving the bio functionality and corrosion resistance in the human body environment.