Silver-Doped Hydroxyapatite Coatings Deposited by Suspension Plasma Spraying

Pure hydroxyapatite suspension was produced by wet chemical synthesis. Using a hybrid water-stabilized torch, a series of HA coatings were produced on SS304 and Ti6Al4V substrates and their properties were characterized by SEM, EDX and XRD techniques. After deposition, the amorphous phase content reached 6-10% and the coatings retained 75-82% of crystalline HA phase. Their thickness reached 145 μm. To understand the wear behavior of the coatings, pin-on-disc tribology evaluation was performed. Additionally, a set of HA coatings was prepared with pure metallic Ag content. This formed by in situ chemical decomposition of AgNO 3 added into the HA suspension. The Ag was dispersed evenly within the coatings in the form of submicron-sized particles situated predominantly along the HA splats boundaries with a total Ag content of 8 wt.%. Given the antibacterial properties of Ag, such result presents a promising step forward in the hard tissue replacement research.