The aim of this work is to assess the influence of two blast media on the deposition of hydroxyapatite onto a titanium substrate using a novel ambient temperature coating technique named CoBlast. CoBlast was developed to address the problems with high temperature coating techniques. The blasting media used in this study were Al2O3 and a sintered apatite powder. The prepared and coated surfaces were compared to plasma sprayed hydroxyapatite on the same substrates using the same hydroxyapatite feedstock powder. X-ray diffraction analysis revealed the coating crystallinity was the same as the original hydroxyapatite feedstock powder for the CoBlast samples while evidence of amorphous hydroxyapatite phases and β-TCP was observed in the plasma sprayed samples. The blast media type significantly influences the adhesive strength of the coating, surface roughness of both the substrate and coating and the microstructure of the substrate. The coating adhesion increased for the CoBlasted samples from 50 MPa to 60 MPa for sintered apatite powder and alumina, respectively, while plasma spray samples were significantly lower (5 MPa) when tested using a modified pull-test. In conclusion, the choice of blast medium is shown to be a key parameter in the CoBlast process. This study indicates that sintered apatite powder is the most suitable candidate for use as a blast medium in the coating of medical devices.
This paper describes the deposition of hydroxyapatite (HA) and fluorapatite (FA) onto titanium dental screws using a novel ambient temperature coating technique named CoBlast. The process utilises a coating medium and a blast medium sprayed simultaneously at the substrate surface. The blast medium was a sintered apatite (sHA) and two particles sizes (<106 and <180 µm) were used to assess their influence on the coating process. The influence of the coating process on the coating composition, coating adhesion, screw morphology and screw microstructure was examined. XRD analysis revealed the coating crystallinity was the same as the original HA and FA feedstock powders. Examining the screw's morphology, the threads of the CoBlasted screws exhibited rounding compared to the unmodified screw. This is due to the abrasive nature of the CoBlast process. The degree of rounding was more significant for the screws blasted with the 180 µm sHA than the 106 µm sHA. The blast media particle size significantly influences the surface roughness of both the substrate and coating and the microstructure of the substrate. The screws did not exhibit any loss of coating after insertion into a model bone material, indicating that the coating was strongly adhered to the substrate. There was no statistically significant difference in cell attachment and cell morphology on the unmodified substrates compared to the coated substrates. In conclusion, the CoBlast process can be used to deposit HA and FA onto complex geometries such as dental screws. The choice of blast medium particle size influences the screws morphology. The coating process does not negatively impact on the cell attachment and morphology in vitro.
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