Systematic optimization of corrosion,bioactivity, and biocompatibility behaviors of calcium-phosphate plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) coatings on titanium substrates

To optimize the corrosion, bioactivity, and biocompatibility behaviors of plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) coatings on titanium substrates, the effects of five process variables including frequency, current density, duty cycle, treatment time, and electrolyte Ca/P ratio were evaluated. In our systematic study, a Taguchi design of experimental based on an L16 orthogonal array was used. For this, the coatings characteristics such as the surface roughness, wettability, rutile to anatase and Ca/P ratios, and corrosion polarization resistance were investigated. After determining the optimum process variables for each response, the apatite forming ability in SBF (bioactivity behavior) and MG63 cell attachment and flattening (biocompatibility behavior) for two groups of coatings were examined. The first group was optimized based on the maximum corrosion polarization resistance and the variables were set as the frequency of 2000 Hz, the current density of 5 A/dm², the duty cycle of 30%, the treatment time of 5 min, and the Ca/P ratio of 0.65 at. % in the electrolyte. For the second group, the maximum surface roughness, greatest Ca/P ratio, and highest wettability as well as the minimum rutile to anatase ratio in coatings, could be obtained when the variables were set as the frequency of 10 Hz, the current density of 12.5 A/dm², the duty cycle of 50%, the treatment time of 12.5 min, and the Ca/P ratio of 1.70 at. % in the electrolyte. The results showed that while both groups of coatings indicated a significant apatite forming ability and can serve as bioactive coatings, a proper attachment and flattening of cells and consequently, the favorable biocompatibility properties were seen only in the first group.