Plasma Spray of Thick Bio-Coatings

Plasma Spraying of Hydroxyapatite (HA) has been widely used for biomedical applications, particularly for coating metallic implants. HA is an osteoconductive and bioactive ceramic, but lacks of the bulk mechanical strength required for human implantation. In order to overcome this limitation, this research proposes to add reinforcement materials of different natures (ceramic (YSZ), metallic (Ti) and polymeric (PEEK)) to the HA in order to fabricate free-standing bio-composites with improved strength/structure. The targeted application will be the development of biological scaffolds for bone tissue engineering.
A low-energy plasma spraying equipment optimized for the HA deposition was used for this study. The process parameters were optimised to improve the stability and the thickness of the free-standing components. Early indications suggest that thicknesses up to 3 mm can be produced. Further research will involve the characterization of the dissolution behaviour of the components and cell growth viability.