Biocompatibility and osteoconduction of active porous calcium–phosphate films on a novel Ti–3Zr–2Sn–3Mo–25Nb biomedical alloy

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the biocompatibility and osteoconduction of active porous calcium-phosphate films on the novel Ti-3Zr-2Sn-3Mo-25Nb biomedical alloy. The active porous calcium-phosphate films were prepared by the micro-arc oxidation method on the surface of a near β biomedical Ti-3Zr-2Sn-3Mo-25Nb alloy, and then activated in a hydroxyl solution followed by an aminated solution. The phase composition, surface micro-topography and elemental characteristics of the active porous calcium-phosphate films were investigated with XRD, SEM, EDS and XPS. The biocompatibility was assessed using corrosion testing, the in vitro osteoblast cultivation test and implantation in soft tissue (subcutaneous and musculature). The osteoconduction was evaluated using the simulated body fluid test and by implantation in hard tissue. The results show that the active porous films are mainly composed of TiO(2) anatase and rutile. The oxide layer is a kind of porous ceramic intermixture containing Ca and P. Immersion in simulated body fluid can induce apatite formation on the porous calcium-phosphate films resulting in excellent bioactivity. Cell cultures revealed that MC3T3-E1 cells grew on the surface exhibiting favorable morphologies. These results indicate that the Ti-3Zr-2Sn-3Mo-25Nb biomedical alloy coated with an active porous calcium-phosphate film has been shown to have excellent corrosion resistance, good biocompatibility and osteoconduction, which can promote cell proliferation and bone formation.