title: A new way of incorporating silicon in hydroxyapatite (Si-HA) as thin films.
abstract: Bioactive silicon-containing hydroxyapatite (Si-HA) thin films that can be used as coatings for bone tissue replacement have been developed. A magnetron co-sputtering technique was used to deposit Si-HA films up to 700 nm thick on titanium substrates, with a silicon level up to 1.2 wt%. X-ray diffraction demonstrated that annealing transformed the as-deposited Si-HA films which were amorphous, into a crystalline HA structure. A human osteoblast-like (HOB) cell model was used to determine the biocompatibility of these films. HOB cells were seen to attach and grow well on the Si-HA films, and the metabolic activity of HOB cells on these films was observed to increase with culture time. Furthermore, mineralisation of the cell layers was observed after 8 weeks of culture. Based on the present findings, Si-HA of different film compositions demonstrate bioactive properties in-vitro, and indicate the potential as biocoatings for a wide variety of medical implants including load-bearing applications such as the femoral stem of hip replacement implants.
authors.affiliation: Cambridge Centre for Medical Materials, Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3QZ, UK. est23@cam.ac.uk
authors.forename: E S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Thian
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Best
authors.forename: Z H
authors.initials: ZH
authors.lastname: Barber
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Bonfield
mesh_terms: D018786:Bone Substitutes / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D002460:Cell Line; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D048429:Cell Size; D002470:Cell Survival; D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D003460:Crystallization / Q000379:methods*; D017886:Durapatite / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D008422:Materials Testing; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D010006:Osteoblasts / Q000166:cytology* / Q000502:physiology; D012825:Silicon / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry*; D013499:Surface Properties
chemical_list: D018786:Bone Substitutes; D020099:Coated Materials, Biocompatible; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D017886:Durapatite; D012825:Silicon