Structure and apatite induction of a microarc-oxidized coating on a biomedical titanium alloy

An oxide coating with nanostructure was prepared by micro-arc oxidation (MAO) on a biomedical Ti–24Nb–4Zr–7.9Sn alloy. Chemical composition of the coating mainly includes O, Ti, Nb, Ca, P, Na, Zr and Sn, where the ratio of Ca/P is about 1.6. Ti, Nb, Zr and Sn participate in the oxidation to form TO2, Nb2O5, ZrO2 and SnO2 nanocrystals, while Ca, P and Na are present in the form of amorphous phases. After alkali treatment, the surface of the MAO coating becomes rough, and Na concentration increases remarkably while P disappears basically. The alkali treated coating shows better apatite forming ability than the untreated one, as evidenced by apatite formation after SBF immersion for 7 days. The improvement of apatite forming ability of the modified coating is attributed to the formation of a sodium titanate layer and numbers of submicron-scale network flakes. The enhancement of the surface wettability of the alkali treated coating also plays an important role in promoting the apatite forming ability.