Fabrication and In vitro Bioactivity of Robust Hydroxyapatite Coating on Porous Titanium Implant

Compared with the traditional dental implant, TixOs® manufactured by direct laser metal forming(DLMF) technology exhibits improved capability for bone osteointegration due to its porous surface structure, and has achieved remarkable clinical effect. However, like the traditional titanium and other alloyed implants, the porous titanium implant TixOs® also has relatively weak bioactivity. To address this issue, a proper surface modification method may be needed. Hydroxyapatite(HA) has been widely used in implant surface coating for its similar chemical composition to bone tissue and its osteoconductive properties. Thus, combining TixOs® implants with hydroxyapatite can be an efficient way to enhance their bioactivity. We herewith reported a competent pulsed laser deposition(PLD) method of coating nano-sized HA thin film onto the porous TixOs® implant. The HA coatings were characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy(SEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy(EDS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy(XPS) and focused ion beam(FIB) method, and nanocrystal sized thin HA films were identified on the surface of TixOs® implants. The low cytotoxicity and improved cell proliferation ability of HA coated implants were further tested and verified using MC 3T3 E1 cells with the consideration of the controlling group. Our results show that a stable and bioactive HA thin film is able to form on the surface of the porous titanium implant by PLD method. This may benefit the further clinical application of TixOs® implants.