Enhancement of the mechanical properties of hydroxyapatite by SiC addition.

Improvements of mechanical and anticorrosive properties, as well as superior osseointegration of the hydroxyapatite coated titanium alloy were reported in the last years by the addition of different elements (Si or Ti) into hydroxyapatite structure. The aim of this work was to prepare and to investigate the hydroxyapatite (HAP) coatings enriched with SiC in order to enhance the mechanical properties of HAP films. The coatings were deposited on Ti6Al4V alloy substrates by co-sputtering of HAP and SiC targets, using a magnetron sputtering system. The films were characterized in terms of elemental and phase composition, chemical binding, morphology and mechanical properties by EDS, XRD, FTIR, SEM, AFM, and nanoindentation. Overall, improved mechanical properties were found by adding SiC to the basic HAP structure.