Influence of strontium on in vitro bioactivity of heat-treated porous Ca-P ceramics on titanium for biomedical applications

The bioactivity of materials was evaluated based on the ability to induce a bond-like apatite layer on the surface in simulated body fluid (SBF). The aim of this study was to investigate the coatings containing strontium on bioactivity after heat treatment. After the materials were soaked in SBF for 1 day, precipitates did not form on the surface of heat-treated MAO coating without strontium. The precipitates were observed on surface of heat-treated MAO coatings containing strontium. After 7 days, the surface of heat-treated MAO coatings containing strontium was completely covered with precipitates. The precipitates were found to be composed of fiber structures using scanning electron microscope (SEM). The phase was identified as the apatite phase using thin film X-ray diffraction (TF-XRD). The results show that heat-treated MAO coatings containing strontium can induce the formation of an apatite layer on their surface. All finding in this study indicated that heat-treated MAO coatings containing strontium have good bioactivity for clinical applications.