Evaluation of hydroxyapatite coatings on borate passivated 316L SS in Ringer's solution

Surgical grade stainless steel (316L SS) is one of the widely used implant material in orthopedic surgeries. But often the release of metal ions is evidenced from the implants and subsequently a second surgery is required to remove the implant material. One way to control this release of metal ions is to coat the implant material with a biocompatible material like hydroxyapatite. In this paper we have reported a successful coating of hydroxyapatite over borate passivated 316L SS by a dip coating method. The coatings were characterized by electrochemical techniques such as potentiodynamic polarization, electrochemical impedance and cyclic voltammetry (CV). Also X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscopic (SEM) studies were performed to confirm the quality of the coatings. Results of accelerated leach out characteristics by inductively coupled plasma–atomic emission spectroscopy (ICP–AES) and the evaluation of shear strength are also presented to support the corrosion resistant nature of the coatings. The enhanced bio-resistivity of the as-formed HAP coatings on passivated 316L SS is attributed to the protective passive layer formed by borate buffer solution at selected potentials.