Effect of energy, temperature, and Cu-doped coatings on crystallinity of Hydroxyapatite thin films obtained by pulsed laser deposition

Abstract

In this work, a pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique with an Nd:YAG laser source was used to produce pure Hydroxyapatite (HA) and Cu-substituted HA (Cu-HA) coatings on stainless steel substrates in vacuum at room temperature. It is observed that the combined effects of percentages of Cu dopants and laser energy as well as annealing temperature significantly modify the crystallinity of the films. The morphology and structural properties of the deposited HA films were analyzed by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Raman spectroscopy. FESEM images displayed various shapes of nanoparticles with high-surface density throughout the area of the substrate and with typical sizes around 26–208 nm. XRD analysis confirmed that post-deposition annealing is essential to achieve the desired crystallinity and uniformity of coatings. The Raman spectrum of HA has peaks at 958.22, 437.48, and 587.05 cm[Formula: see text] attributed to the [Formula: see text] PO[Formula: see text], [Formula: see text] PO[Formula: see text], and [Formula: see text] PO[Formula: see text], respectively. The synthesized HA and Cu-HA crystalline films are nanostructures with dense and compact microstructures. Finally, irregular surface and crystalline structure of fabricated films lead to the extension of the surface and enhance the cell’s proliferation in medical uses and biomedical applications.