%0 Journal Article
%T Animal Origin Bioactive Hydroxyapatite Thin Films Synthesized by RF-Magnetron Sputtering on 3D Printed Cranial Implants
%J Metals | An Open Access Journal from MDPI
%D 2019
%R https://doi.org/10.3390/met9121332
%X Ti6Al4V cranial prostheses in the form of patterned meshes were 3D printed by selective laser melting in an argon environment; using a CO 2 laser source and micron-sized Ti6Al4V powder as the starting material. The size and shape of prostheses were chosen based on actual computer tomography images of patient skull fractures supplied in the framework of a collaboration with a neurosurgery clinic. After optimizations of scanning speed and laser parameters, the printed material was defect-free (as shown by metallographic analyses) and chemically homogeneous, without elemental segregation or depletion. The prostheses were coated by radio-frequency magnetron sputtering (RF-MS) with a bioactive thin layer of hydroxyapatite using a bioceramic powder derived from biogenic resources (Bio-HA). Initially amorphous, the films were converted to fully-crystalline form by applying a post-deposition thermal-treatment at 500 ¡ãC/1 h in air. The X-ray diffraction structural investigations indicated the phase purity of the deposited films composed solely of a hexagonal hydroxyapatite-like compound. On the other hand, the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic investigations revealed that the biological carbonatation of the bone mineral phase was well-replicated in the case of crystallized Bio-HA RF-MS implant coatings. The in vitro acellular assays, performed in both the fully inorganic Kokubo¡¯s simulated body fluid and the biomimetic organic¨Cinorganic McCoy¡¯s 5A cell culture medium up to 21 days, emphasized both the good resistance to degradation and the biomineralization capacity of the films. Further in vitro tests conducted in SaOs-2 osteoblast-like cells showed a positive proliferation rate on the Bio-HA RF-MS coating along with a good adhesion developed on the biomaterial surface by elongated membrane protrusions. View Full-Tex
%U https://www.mdpi.com/2075-4701/9/12/1332