Hydrothermal synthesis of Ag-ZrO2/r-GO coating on CoCrMo substrate

A simple hydrothermal method was used to synthesize silver-doped zirconia-reduced graphite oxide (Ag-ZrO2/r-GO) composite coating on CoCrMo, an alloy commonly used in artificial hip joints. The Ag-ZrO2/r-GO coating is mainly intended to extend the service life of artificial hip joints via a rational coating design, which consists of three components, namely, a ceramic component ZrO2, a friction reducing component r-GO, and an antibacterial agent Ag. After hydrothermal treatment in Zr(SO4)2·4H2O solution containing GO at 200 °C for 24 h, ZrO2/r-GO coating of about 12.5 µm thick was formed on CoCrMo substrate. Ag was incorporated subsequently by soaking in AgNO3 solution and calcination was carried out to improve the adhesion of the coating on CoCrMo substrate.