In vitro precipitation of electrodeposited calcium-deficient hydroxyapatite coatings on Ti6Al4V substrate

Abstract In this study, electrodeposited calcium phosphate coatings were characterized by X-ray diffraction, using a scanning electron microscope equipped with an EDAX detector, before and after immersion in DMEM (Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium). After 1, 7, 14, and 21 days of immersion, the calcium and phosphate contents in solution were measured by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES). The results indicated that precipitation of the coating occurred. Before immersion in DMEM, the electrodeposited coating was a mixed crystalline and amorphous calcium-deficient hydroxyapatite with a Ca/P atomic ratio of about 1.5, but during the immersion period these phases rapidly disappeared and were followed by the precipitation of a crystalline apatite with a Ca/P atomic ratio near 1.65. On the basis of these results, we conclude that an electrodeposited calcium phosphate coating on roughened titanium alloy substrate may act as a precursor for newly precipitated calcium phosphate in in vitro experiments independent of cellular activities.