Blast coating method: new method of coating titanium surface with hydroxyapatite at room temperature.

When a titanium plate was blasted with hydroxyapatite [HAP; Ca10[x](HPO4)[x](PO4)[6-x](OH)[2-x]] powder at room temperature using an ordinary sandblaster, the surface of the titanium plate was found to be coated with HAP homogeneously and completely. The coated layer was examined with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction and was found to be the same as the HAP powder used with respect to composition and crystallographic structure. The coated HAP layer was tightly attached to the surface of the titanium plate, at least at the level of scanning electron microscopy. Interestingly, the HAP particles stuck together at room temperature as if they were sintered. The coating was stable against ultrasonication in water for at least 5 min, and it was difficult to remove by nail scratching. Thus, the bonding strength between the HAP powder and the titanium plate was much higher than that achieved with currently employed room temperature coating processes such as dipping, electrophoretic deposition, and electrochemical deposition. Therefore, the blast coating method is potentially valuable for the fabrication of useful biomaterials for hard tissue replacement.