Cladding of titanium/hydroxyapatite composites onto Ti6Al4V for load-bearing implant applications

To improve the bioactivity of Ti6Al4V alloy for use as a load-bearing hard tissue replacement, titanium/hydroxyapatite (Ti/HA) composites were bonded to a Ti6Al4V substrate by a novel cladding method. With the aid of a silver foil as the interlayer and an external pressure during sintering, the interfaces between the composites and the substrate were free of defects. The bioactivity of the fabricated materials was evaluated in the simulated body fluid (SBF) and the results demonstrated that the materials could induce nucleation and growth of bone-like apatite in the SBF. Factors that contributed to the bioactivity of the materials were discussed. The release of Ag+ ions from the materials was also detected, which is expected to impart antibacterial effect after implantation, and further enhance the functionalities of the materials.