Plasma-sprayed hydroxyapatite coating on carbon/carbon composite scaffolds for bone tissue engineering and related tests in vivo.

The bioactive hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings were successfully prepared on carbon/carbon composites (C/C) by means of sand-blasting pretreatment and plasma-spraying technology. X-ray diffraction was employed to analyze the phase constitute of the coatings. Meanwhile, the bond strength between the HA coatings and C/C substrates was determined via shear test. Experimental results show that the coatings constitute HA, CaO, and other amorphous phosphates. The post heat treatment could effectively increase crystallization and purity of the coatings. Through observation and analysis by electron microprobe and scanning electron microscopy, it is concluded that the bond strength of the plasma-sprayed HA coatings on C/C is mainly determined by the interface structure and can be further improved by the post heat treatment. Meanwhile, the implantation in vivo was carried out in hybrid goats. The histological observation revealed that the osteoplaque gradually grew on the surface of the HA coatings and the pure C/C surface was covered by the fibrous tissues. No inflammation symptoms were found in the bone tissue around the implants. (c) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.