- Previous Article
- Next Article
- Table of Contents
Materials Science Forum, Vol.509, 211-216, 2006
Biomimetic process in metals
A titanium base alloy and a cobalt base alloy have been subjected to a biomimetic process. Samples of titanium and cobalt alloys have been immersed in 10M and 5M NaOH solutions, respectively, then the samples have been heat treated and finally, immersed in either a simulated body fluid (SBF) with ionic concentration close to human blood plasma or in a simulated body fluid with an ionic concentration 1.5 times that of the SBF (1.5SBF) for a period of 21 days. An apatite layer has been observed after the immersion of the samples in SBF for both Ti and Co base alloys. The apatite layer observed on the Ti alloy samples is more homogeneous and thicker than that observed on the Co alloy samples. However, the apatite layer on both samples is not continuous and homogeneous along the surface. The layer of apatite formed is thicker on samples immersed in 1.5SBF. This is attributed to the higher ion concentrations, mainly of calcium and phosphorus. The Ca/P ratios measured in the apatite layers are close to that of bone.