Fabrication of Carbonate Apatite Bone Substitute Coating on Titanium and its Initial Cellular Response

In this study, carbonate apatite [Ca 10-x (PO 4 ) 6-y (CO 3 ) z (OH) 2-x-y-z , CHAp], a bone substitute material, was coated on roughened titanium through a sol-gel hydrothermal method. The sol-gel process was used to prepare calcium tartaric complexes, which were then subsequently hydrothermally treated on titanium in the presence of sodium hydroxide, and sodium hydrogen phosphate. The results showed that carbonate apatite, composed of nanosized fibers, was evenly deposited across the titanium surface. This coating resulted in a lower surface roughness (Ra) value of 1.31 μm compared to 3.98 μm for uncoated titanium. Additionally, the carbonate apatite coating decreased the contact angles of the titanium surface, thereby significantly enhancing cell attachment and migration compared to the uncoated surface. These results could be valuable for further evaluation of this coating in biomedical applications.