Bioactive glass coatings synthesized by pulsed laser deposition technique

Abstract

Surface modification of medical implants is often required to improve their biocompatibility or, through bioactive properties of the surface material, facilitate its intergrowth with the living tissue. Bioactive-glass coatings can serve that purpose for the bone implants. We report a successful preparation of silicate-phosphate bioactive-glass coating on titanium substrate using the pulsed laser deposition method and present the coating characterization in terms of bonding configuration and chemical activity. The former was studied with high-resolution Raman microspectroscopy and revealed the presence of structural units responsible for the material's bioactivity. The bioactivity was also tested directly, in vitro, by soaking the samples in the simulated body fluid and examining the result with the Raman spectroscopy. The Raman spectrum, typical of hydroxyapatite was observed proving that the bone-like-material formed on the coating's surface.