Effect of the Mass Ratio of CaCO3 to CaHPO4·2H2O on in Situ Synthesis of Hydroxyapatite Coating by Laser Cladding

Hydroxyapatite coatings were fabricated on Ti substrates by laser cladding (LC) using mixed powders of CaCO3 and dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (DCPD, CaHPO4·2H2O). The effect of the mass ratio of CaCO3 to DCPD on phase and microstructure formation of the coatings was investigated. The reactions between CaCO3 and DCPD can produce high crystallized hydroxyapatite (HA, Ca5(PO4)3(OH)) in the coatings as well as tetracalcium phosphate (TTCP, Ca4P2O9), α-tricalcium phosphate (α-TCP, α-Ca3(PO4)2), β-tricalcium phosphate (β-TCP, β-Ca3(PO4)2) and Ca2P2O7. The Ca/P molar ratio (CMR) of the mixed powders (CMRP) has a great influence on the contents of the phases in the coating. HA can be produced in the coating only when the CMRP is higher than 1.54, and its content increases slowly as the CMRP increases. The coating contains only about 25wt% HA when CMRP reaches 2.00, and there exists large amount of TTCP in the coating. So a post heat treatment with furnace cooling is recommended to increase the amount of HA in the coating. All the coatings have porous structures because the reactions between the powders produce lots of gases during LC. The pore size in the coating fabricated by the powders with CMR equal to 2.00 is about 100–300 μm. CMRP also has a great influence on the bond strength, porosity and cracks of the coatings. Along with the increase of the CMRP, the bond strength and porosity decrease, whereas the number of cracks increases.