Alumina and zirconia ceramics are bioinert and therefore do not bond to living bone. It has been shown, however, that by a suitable chemical treatment the hydroxy groups can be formed on the surfaces, which are capable of inducing apatite nucleation in a simulated body fluid (SBF). The aim of our study was to verify the apatite-forming ability of zirconia and alumina ceramics in a supersaturated Ca/P solution, which was recently suggested as an effective and fast biomimetic method. Polished alumina and zirconia substrates were immersed in a supersaturated Ca/P solution for various periods of time at pH 7.2 and 36.5 °C. For comparison, a bio-glass was used as a reference material. After drying the specimens were verified by SEM/EDS, XRD, TEM and AFM analysis. The first isolated clusters were formed on the substrate surfaces after only 2 hours, which also confirms the effectiveness of the Ca/P solution in biomimetic apatite-forming. According to SEM/EDS analysis these clusters contain calcium and phosphorus. All substrates immersed in Ca/P solution for 27 hours showed uniform nanocrystalline layers. The XRD patterns of scratched coating layers indicated that the hydroxyapatite was formed, which was later confirmed by TEM analysis. Attempts were made to quantify the thickness of these layers as a function of time for various substrates, but no conclusive results could be obtained so far. The above results indicate the apatite forming ability of alumina and zirconia ceramics in supersaturated Ca/P solution.

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