A simple method to prepare calcium phosphate coatings on Ti6Al4V.

A two-step chemical treatment followed by immersion in a supersaturated calcification solution (SCS) was found to be a simple way to prepare calcium phosphate (Ca-P) coatings on Ti6Al4V. The Ca-P deposition on the treated metallic surfaces could be accelerated by employing a pre-calcification (Pre-Ca) procedure prior to immersion in SCS. The two-step treatment was performed by etching the metallic plates with a mixture of HCl and H2SO4 followed by ageing in boiling diluted NaOH solution at 140 degrees C. Pre-Ca was carried out by incubating the two-step treated plates in Na2HPO4 solution and then in saturated Ca(OH)2 solution. The formation of a bioactive microporous surface oxide layer on Ti6Al4V by the two-step treatment was most probably responsible for the induction of Ca-P precipitation. The deposition rates and compositions of Ca-P coatings in two different SCSs were investigated by means of scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction and infrared spectrophotometry.