ABSTRACT
Silver-doped hydroxyapatite (Ca10-xAgx(PO4)6(OH)2-x) films were synthesized and deposited on anodized titanium (Ti) using electrophoretic. The influence of different silver-dopant contents (X=0, 0.02, 0.05, 0.08 and 0.1) on the phase formation and microstructure of the powders were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscope (XPS), and Fourier transform infrared spectrum analysis (FT-IR). XRD analysis confirmed the formation of Hexagonal structure of hydroxyapatite (HAp) annealed at 600°C with a small shift in the major peak position toward lower angles with adding silver. FT-IR spectroscopy disclosed the presence of the different vibrational modes matching to phosphates and hydroxyl groups and the absence of any band characteristics to silver. XPS analysis showed that 75% and 23% of silver was in the chemical states of Ag(2+) and Ag(+), respectively. However, only about 2% of silver was in the Ag(0) state, resulting in the high quality of nanocomposite films. The anodization treatment improves the bond strength between the Ag doped HAp deposited layers on TiO2. HAp and silver doped HAp (X=0.05) are regarded to be hydrophilic due to a large number of -OH groups on the surface. The sample with content of silver (x=0.05) also showed excellent antimicrobial efficacy (>99% reduction in viable cells). Electrochemical reveals the passive current densities of the HAp coated anodized Ti are lower than those of silver doped HAp coated anodized Ti, leading to a slightly lower corrosion resistance.
