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Thermal Spraying of Bioactive Polymer Coatings for Orthopaedic Applications

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Abstract

Flame sprayed biocompatible polymer coatings, made of biodegradable and non-biodegradable polymers, were investigated as single coatings on titanium and as top coatings on plasma sprayed Hydroxyapatite. Biocompatible polymers can act as drug carriers for localized drug release following implantation. The polymer matrix consisted of a biodegradable polymer, polyhydroxybutyrate 98%/ polyhydroxyvalerate 2% (PHBV) and a non-biodegradable polymer, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA). Screening tests were performed to determine the suitable range of spraying parameters, followed by a Design of Experiments study to determine the effects of spraying parameters on coating characteristics (thickness, roughness, adhesion, wettability), and to optimize the coating properties accordingly. Coatings characterization showed that optimized flame sprayed biocompatible polymers underwent little chemical degradation, did not produce acidic by-products in vitro, and that cells proliferated well on their surface.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to acknowledge the help of Mr Maurice Burke and Dr Joana Podporska with regards to the FTIR and cell culture studies, respectively. This research was funded by the Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology (IRCSET) through the Embark Initiative.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Materials Processing and Research Centre and National Centre for Plasma Science and Technology, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland

    A. Chebbi & J. Stokes

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  1. A. Chebbi
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  2. J. Stokes
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Correspondence to A. Chebbi.

Additional information

This article is an invited paper selected from presentations at the 2011 International Thermal Spray Conference and has been expanded from the original presentation. It is simultaneously published in Thermal Spray 2011: Proceedings of the International Thermal Spray Conference, Hamburg, Germany, September 27-29, 2011, Basil R. Marple, Arvind Agarwal, Margaret M. Hyland, Yuk-Chiu Lau, Chang-Jiu Li, Rogerio S. Lima, and André McDonald, Ed., ASM International, Materials Park, OH, 2011.

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Chebbi, A., Stokes, J. Thermal Spraying of Bioactive Polymer Coatings for Orthopaedic Applications. J Therm Spray Tech 21, 719–730 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11666-012-9764-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11666-012-9764-z

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