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This research is aimed at the development and characterization of a novel bioceramic coating on the surface of pure titanium. Nano-TiO2/HA composite bioceramic coating was designed and developed on the surfaces of pure titanium discs by sol-gel route. The TiO2 anatase bioceramic coating was employed as the inner layer, which could adhere tightly to the titanium substrate. The porous HA bioceramic coating was employed as the outer layer, which has higher solubility and better short term bioactivity. Conventional HA coatings and commercially pure titanium (cpTi) were taken as control. XRD and SEM were employed to characterize the crystallization, surface morphology and thickness of the coatings. The bioactivities of the coatings were evaluated by the in vitro osteoblasts culture. Results show the nano-TiO2/HA composite bioceramic coating has good crystallization and homogeneous, nano-scale surface morphology. And it adheres tightly to the substrate. The in vitro osteoblasts culture exhibits satisfactory bioactivity.

The effect of Si doping on the bioactivity and characteristics of hydroxyapatite/TiO2 composite films was investigated. Pure titanium plates were treated to form Ca, P and Si enriched titania-based films by using micro-arc oxidation (MAO). Then, some specimens were undergone a further hydrothermal treatment to produce a thin outermost layer of hydroxyapatite (HA). Experiments revealed that that the film, which was about 10μm thick, was composed of amorphous silicon dioxide, amorphous calcium phosphate, rutile and anatase. The film was porous and uneven, with the pore size of 1-4μm. No obvious cracks exist on the surface. In order to investigate the cytocompatibility of the films, periodontal ligament (PDL) cells were seeded onto the surface of the films. It was concluded that the Si ion did not influence the characters of MAO film but Si enriched hydroxyapatite/ TiO2 composite coatings exhibited an effect on cell attachment.