Hydroxyapatite and Fluoridated Hydroxyapatite Coatings and Their Effects on Commercially Pure Magnesium Corrosion Response

Dicalcium-phosphate dehydrate, converted to hydroxyapatite by post-treatment in sodium hydroxide, and fluoridated hydroxyapatite were electrodeposited on commercially pure magnesium substrates that were pretreated with sodium hydroxide. The coatings’ crystalline structure, thickness, scratch hardness, morphology and chemical composition were characterised by GIXRD, microscratch testing platform, SEM and EDS. The results showed that the apatite coatings had highly crystalline structure, acceptable scratch hardness, flake-like morphology and acceptable chemical composition. Corrosion behaviour of the uncoated and coated substrates was investigated by potentiodynamic polarization and immersion tests in simulated body fluid. The coated substrates, especially fluoridated hydroxyapatite coated substrates, showed significantly lower corrosion rates compared to uncoated substrates. The polarisation curves showed that the coatings hindered anodic reactions; the corrosion potentials were shifted toward less-negative. In general, this study concluded that the corrosion rate of commercially pure magnesium could be significantly decreased to be a candidate for future cost-effective biodegradable orthopaedic implants.