Bioactivity of a Ni-free Ti-based metallic glass

In this study, a bone-like apatite layer was formed on a Ni-free Ti-based metallic glass. A two-step treatment method, i.e., hydrothermalelectrochemical treatment followed by pre-calcification treatment, was developed to prepare a bioactive surface on the Ti-based metallic glass. The results reveal that the combination of electrochemical-hydrothermal and pre-calcification treatments can accelerate nucleation and improve growth rate of apatite on Ti-based metallic glass in simulated body fluid (Hanks' solution). The reasons why the two-step treatment accelerates the nucleation and growth of apatite were also discussed.