Modified Mechanical Coating Technique for the Preparation of Nanohydroxyapatite Coated Ti–6Al–4V Dental Implants

Abstract

To improve the mechanical and biological properties and also to increase the lifetime and performance of Ti–6Al–4V dental implants they were coated by hydroxyapatite nanoparticles using a modified mechanical coating technique. A novel milling vial was developed to simultaneously coat hydroxyapatite nanoparticles on the Ti–6Al–4V substrates. The modified dimensions of the milling vial and optimized milling operation parameters were presented. The coating operation was applied for 4 hours with a ball to powder weight ratio of 30 : 1. Furthermore the bioactivity of the coatings was studied by placing the coating in a simulated body fluid for 14 days. SEM and FTIR analysis indicated the bone bonding ability of the coating by its capability of forming hydroxyapatite on the surface of the coating. The coating operation resulted in the formation of a uniform nanoparticle containing coating and significantly decreased the cost and complexity of the nanohydroxyapatite coating process on Ti–6Al–4V substrates.