Strong bonding strength between HA and (NH4)2S2O8-treated carbon/carbon composite by hydrothermal treatment and induction heating

Carbon/carbon composite with hydroxyapatite (HA) coating is an attractive material in the dental and orthopedic fields, but the reported bonding strength between them was very poor. In this study, a compact crystalline HA coating on (NH4)2S2O8-treated C/C substrate about 10 μm in width was obtained by hydrothermal treatment and induction heating. The microstructure, composition and morphologies of the as-prepared coatings were identified by X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy and energy dispersive spectroscopy. A strong shear strength averaging 74.2 MPa between C/C substrate and HA was achieved and adhesion failures were observed more frequently than cohesion failures. The coating adhesion measured using a scratch test was 23 N and the reasons for this are discussed.