The manufacture of an implant that mimics the architecture of natural bone and solves the problems of interfacial instability with host tissue are strongly required in dentistry and orthopaedic surgery.
Porous titanium alloys with excellent biocompatibility, high corrosion resistance and low elastic modulus are amongst the most promising implants. However, there is no rapid bone-bonding ability between porous titanium alloys and a living bone directly after implantation. In the present study, a bioactive surface layer was induced on the porous biocompatible Ti-16Sn-4Nb alloys through a thermochemical process. The porous Ti-16Sn-4Nb alloy with the average pore size of 300 micron and relative density of approximately 0.4 was prepared by powder metallurgy. The porous samples were subjected to alkali- and heat-treatments. The bonelike apatite formation in simulated body fluid (SBF) was evaluated at different soaking periods ranging from 1 to 6 hours. Scanning electron microscopy combined with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) were used for the characterisation of the surface morphology and chemical compositions of the alkali and heat treated porous Ti alloy samples.
The results indicated that the more uniform nucleation and the higher thickness of apatite were formed throughout the porous Ti-16Sn-4Nb alloy after a certain soaking time in SBF. The porous Ti-16Sn-4Nb alloy exhibited a good bioactivity after thermochemical process and favours both bone anchoring and biomechanical stability.