BIOCOMPATIBISITY OF ION BEAM PROCESSED FILMS DEPOSITED ON SURGICAL TI-6AI-4V

ion beam processing of materials for medical application has gained increasing interest in the last decade and the implantation of nitrogen into TI-6AI-4V to improve corrosive-wear performance is currently used for processing of total hip and knee joints. Oxides and nitrides of Ti, Zr, Al, Cr were deposited on TI-6AI-4V substrates by DC magnetron sputtering dual ion beam sputtering and ion beam assisted deposition. The cytotoxicity of these films were investigated by MTT method and showed comparable to untreated TI-6AI-4V Plasm-sprayed hydroxyapatite(HAp) coatings showed excellent cytotoxicity regardless of heat treatment. intermediate layer coatings of nitrides and oxides increased the bond strength of HAp to substrate by intrdducing chemical bond at interface. Heat treatment of HAp coatings also improved the chemical bond at interfaces and increased the bond strength of untreated TI-6AI-4V to 16.4 kg/$\textrm{cm}^2$ but still lower than 33.1 kg./$\textrm{cm}^2$ of ir oxide as a imtermediate layer caoting.