Figure 6. (a-b) High Resolution TEM images showing typical apatite crystal structure running in a longitudinal pattern
CONCLUSIONS
This work demonstrates a potential cost-effective route to coat implant materials with highly- ordered fluoridated apatite structures using a low temperature wet chemical method. These coatings exhibit a fine control over the hierarchical organization, coverage, and size of the nanocrystals, exploiting the surface topography of the substrates. Furthermore, the results suggests that both titanium and sapphire can form bioactive coatings regardless being pre-treated or not. We believe that these hierarchical apatite coatings may play a major role in optimising the osseointegration and biocompatibility of dental and orthopaedic implants.