Effect of surface modifications of additively manufactured Ti-6Al-4V alloys on apatite formation ability for biomedical applications

Abstract In this study, Ti-6Al-4V alloys were additively manufactured (AM) with different laser powers. The goal was to investigate the effect of different surface modifications on apatite formation ability. Four types of surface modifications, namely, sandblasting (S), acid etching (E), anodic oxidation (AO) and anodic spark oxidation (ASO), were achieved on the Ti-6Al-4V samples. The microstructure, phase, morphology, roughness and wettability properties were examined by optical microscope (OM), scanning electron microscope (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), surface profilometer and contact angle techniques. The bioactivity analysis was performed in simulated body fluid (SBF) for 2 weeks. The results indicated that the microstructure, surface topography, roughness and wettability influenced the apatite formation were affected by the production laser power. Generally, the samples 3 showed higher Ca and P ion ratio value because of percentage of β phase amount, the presence of bioactive phases on the surfaces. The E3 sample resulted in the best apatite formation theoretically. The etching procedure of AM Ti-6Al-4V in the acidic solution can be applied to improve the apatite formation ability of Ti-6Al-4V alloys.