Chemical Treatment of Ti Metal to Induce its Bioactivity

Abstract

A chemical treatment was applied to Ti metal in order to induce its bioactivity. The pure Ti metal was treated with 10M NaOH or KOH aqueous solution at 60°C for 1 to 24 h to form a hydrated TiO2 gel layer with alkali ions on its surface, then subjected to a heat treatment at 400 to 600°C for 1 h to form amorphous alkali titanate layer. Thus treated Ti metal formed a dense and uniform bone-like apatite layer on its surface via forming a TiO2 hydrogel layer when it was soaked in the simulated body fluid with ion concentrations nearly equal to those of human blood plasma. This indicates that thus treated Ti metal could form the bone-like apatite layer even in the body. It is expected that the apatite layer thus formed in vitro as well as in vivo could exhibit high bioactivity as well as strong bonding to the substrate.