Titania thermal spray coatings made from a nanostructured feedstock: An alternative as a biomedical coating

Plasma sprayed hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings have been applied with success for the last 20 years on hip-joint implants to promote the fixation of the implant to the bone. Despite the success of the plasma sprayed HA coatings, there are still concerns regarding the long-term performance of these materials due to the dissolution and weakening of the HA in the human body, and low mechanical performance of plasma sprayed HA coatings. Because of these concerns, a high velocity oxy-fuel (HVOF) sprayed nanostructured titania coating is proposed to replace HA plasma sprayed coatings for long-term performance implants. Titania is a nontoxic and nonabsorbable material. Nanostructured thermal sprayed titania coatings have demonstrated superior mechanical performance when compared to conventional titania coatings.