Bioactive CaO-SiO2-PDMS coatings on Ti6Al4V substrates

Bioactive CaO-SiO2-poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS) organic-inorganic hybrid coatings over Ti6A14V substrates have been prepared for the first time by using a sol-gel dip-coating method. The influence of the sol viscosity upon the film formation was investigated. When the new CaO-SiO2-PDMS coatings were soaked in a fluid mimicking human plasma for 7 days, a new nanocrystalline phase over all the investigated films was formed. The use of several complementary characterization techniques makes it possible to identify the material formed over the coating surfaces as a nanocrystalline apatite-like phase. These hybrid coatings can be of interest in the orthopedic and dentistry industries because of their bioactive behavior.