A comparative study of cell growth on a cold sprayed Ti–Ta composite

Abstract Rapid advances in low-cost 3D additive manufacturing have provided opportunities to examine Ta as an expensive but highly effective biomaterial. Cold-spray solid state deposition was used to form a Ta composite coating. Results of a comparative study to determine biocompatibility of cold spray Ti–Ta coatings with respect to a broadly used Ti alloy (Ti–6Al–4V) additively manufactured by Electron Beam Melting (EBM) was presented. Chemical and physical features of cold sprayed Ti–Ta coatings were examined through SEM (scanning electron microscopy), EDX (energy dispersive X-ray detector) and XRD (X-ray diffraction). Experimental results manifest successful cell growth in relation to cold sprayed Ti–Ta composite coatings. In-vitro biocompatibility study was evaluated by cell culture in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle's Medium (DMEM) on both rough and smooth surfaces, the confluent cellular layer associated with cold sprayed Ti–Ta coating that promoted cellular adherence and cell proliferation were examined by Focused Ion Beam (FIB)-SEM. The composite coating results compared to commercial purity (c. p.) Ti presented improved cell growth. Outcomes of this study, for example, could potentially benefit osseointegrity by understanding the relationship between coupling of biocompatible materials and the mechanism that encourages cell growth.