In Vitro Evaluation of RF Magnetron-Sputtered Calcium Phosphate Films on Titanium

Calcium phosphate coating films were fabricated on mirror-polished or blast-treated titanium substrates using radio-frequency (RF) magnetron sputtering and they were evaluated in vitro. Immersion tests for the films were conducted using phosphate-buffered saline (PBS(-)), and apatite formation and the elution of calcium ions from the films were investigated. The bonding strengths between the calcium phosphate films and titanium substrates before and after the immersion tests were evaluated. After the immersion tests, a decrease in the bonding strength was observed for the coating films on the mirror-polished titanium substrates, while that for the blast-treated titanium substrates was almost the same as that before the immersion tests.