Electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of nano-hydroxyapatite coatings with improved mechanical properties on prosthetic Ti6Al4V substrates

• Nano-HAP coatings are synthesized by electrophoretic deposition.
• The potential and the time used for the electrophoretic deposition are studied.
• A thermal treatment of the sample is used to enhance its mechanical properties.

This work aims at studying the synthesis of hydroxyapatite (HAP) coatings by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of a nano-sized powder. In this research, the variation of the potential and the deposition time, two essential experimental parameters, is explored. It has been established by scanning electron microscopy combined with energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM–EDXS) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) that the best results are obtained for deposition of the coating at 10 V during 10 min. Subsequently, the electrophoretic deposition was followed by thermal treatment of the samples in a controlled atmosphere to enhance their mechanical properties (hardness and Young's Modulus), key parameters to improve the lifespan of the implant materials. In this way, an innovative synthesis process has been developed to produce nano-HAP coatings with appropriate dimensional features known to provide an improved biological response.