X-ray diffraction studies of vacuum plasma-sprayed hydroxyapatite coatings after immersion in simulated body fluid and fetal calf serum

The chemical changes that occur in vacuum plasma sprayed (VPS) hydroxyapatite coatings after immersion in simulated body fluid (SBF) and fetal calf serum were studied. X-ray diffraction analysis showed that the VPS process caused no change in the phase composition of the plasma-sprayed coatings. The process was, therefore, proposed as a suitable method for the development of highly pure and crystalline coatings for biomedical applications. Since crystallite sizes decreased after immersion in SBF, reduced crystallinity of the coating may be beneficial for rapid bone-bonding and immersion in SBF may be a simple method in increasing the bioactivity of plasma-sprayed coatings.