Silver-Doped Hydroxyapatite Coatings Deposited by Suspension Plasma Spraying

Pure hydroxyapatite suspension was produced by wet chemical synthesis. Using a hybrid water-stabilized torch, a series of HA coatings were produced on SS304 and Ti6Al4V substrates and their properties were characterized by SEM, EDX and XRD techniques. After deposition, the amorphous phase content reached 6-10% and the coatings retained 75-82% of crystalline HA phase. Their thickness reached 145m. To understand the wear behavior of the coatings, pin-on-disc tribology evaluation was performed. Additionally, a set of HA coatings was prepared with pure metallic Ag content. This formed by in situ chemical decomposition of AgNO3 added into the HA suspension. The Ag was dispersed evenly within the coatings in the form of submicron-sized particles situated predominantly along the HA splats boundaries with a total Ag content of 8wt.%. Given the antibacterial properties of Ag, such result presents a promising step forward in the hard tissue replacement research.