Fabrication of Titanium Coatings for Medical Device Applications

Abstract

Titanium is widely used for medical purposes. It related to bone repair because of its favorable mechanical properties and biocompatible ability to osseointegrate in host bone tissue. A good and lasting connection of the implant with the bone tissue is possible when there are sufficient conditions for the bone to grow into the pores of the material, therefore the use of a porous titanium coating may be helpful in solving this problem. In this paper, shrouded plasma spray is used to produce low oxide containing titanium coatings and lower the cost as titanium is a very reactive metal at high temperatures. A solid conical shroud was designed for plasma spray. The titanium coatings were assessed by scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy. An analysis in microstructure had been carried out. The results showed that the shroud attachment played an important role in protecting the titanium particles in flight during the process of plasma spraying. An enhanced microstructure with moderate porosity in the titanium coatings plasma sprayed with the shroud was observed. The reduction in air entrainment with the shroud resulted in a good heating of the particles. The plasma-sprayed titanium coating was mainly composed of α-Ti with a low quantity of TiO.