Plasma-sprayed coating of hydroxyapatite on metal implants--a review.

Metal implants such as titanium, stainless steel and Co-Cr-Mo are used for load bearing purposes such as hip joint prostheses, fixing plates and dental root implants. For practical application, plasma-sprayed coatings of hydroxyapatite (HA) on metal implants are applied to promote early formation of strong bonds between metal implant and living bone. Plasma spray coating involves heating of HA material to a semi-molten or molten state and then propels its to a metal substrate. The plasma flame temperature is in the range of 6,000 degrees C to 16,000 degrees C but the surface temperature of the substrate rarely exceeds 150 degrees C. The HA materials are feed into the spray gun in the form of powders. Furthermore, this paper will discuss the processes of plasma-sprayed coating of HA on various types of metal implants.