High-Velocity Suspension Flame Sprayed (HVSFS) Hydroxyapatite Coatings for Biomedical Applications

In this study, hydroxyapatite (HAp) coatings were deposited on Ti plates by the high-velocity suspension flame spraying (HVSFS) technique. The process characteristic, the microstructure and phase composition of the coatings are significantly influenced by the solvent and by the design of the combustion chamber (CC) of the HVSFS torch. Water-based suspensions always lead to fairly low surface temperatures (approximate to 350 degrees C), deposition efficiencies <40%, and produce coatings with low amount of crystalline HAp, which tend to dissolve very rapidly in simulated body fluid (SBF) solutions. DEG-based suspensions, when sprayed with properly-designed CCs, produce deposition efficiencies of 45-55% and high surface temperatures (550-600 degrees C). In these coatings, the degree of crystallinity increases from the bottom layer to the top layer, probably because the increasingly large surface temperature can eventually favour re-crystallisation of individual lamellae during cooling. These coatings are much more stable in SBF solutions.