The Determinants of Morphology and Properties of the Nanohydroxyapatite Coating Deposited on the Ti13Zr13Nb Alloy by Electrophoretic Technique

The titanium and its alloys belong at present to the most preferred and commonly applied biomaterials for load-bearing implants. The surfaces of biomaterials are subjected to modification, including the hydroxyapatite coatings deposited in order to ensure corrosion resistance and better joining between an implant and a bone through the possibility of ingrowth bone into the coating. In this paper, the morphology and properties of the nanohydroxyapatite coating deposited on the Ti13Zr13Nb flat surfaces using electrophoretic method are presented. Electrophoretic deposition at two different current values and two electrolytes (first – ethanol with nanoHAp, second – methanol with nanoHAp) was applied. The scanning electron microscopy examinations and wettability angle measurements showed an increase in the coating thickness, the surface coverage and decrease in biocompatibility with increasing voltage. The surface condition and biocompatibility of coatings were better when using methanol/nanoHAp solution as compared to the ethanol/nanoHAp one.