Bioactive Glass-Ceramic Coatings Synthesized by the Liquid Precursor Plasma Spraying Process

Abstract

In this study, the liquid precursor plasma spraying process was used to manufacture P2O5-Na2O-CaO-SiO2 bioactive glass-ceramic coatings (BGCCs), where sol and suspension were used as feedstocks for plasma spraying. The effect of precursor and spray parameters on the formation and crystallinity of BGCCs was systematically studied. The results indicated that coatings with higher crystallinity were obtained using the sol precursor, while nanostructured coatings predominantly consisting of amorphous phase were synthesized using the suspension precursor. For coatings manufactured from suspension, the fraction of the amorphous phase increased with the increase in plasma power and the decrease in liquid precursor feed rate. The coatings synthesized from the suspension plasma spray process also showed a good in vitro bioactivity, as suggested by the fast apatite formation when soaking into SBF.