Oriented hydroxyapatite single crystals produced by the electrodeposition method

We propose here the use of cathodic electrodeposition as tool to fabricate implant coatings consisting in nano/micro single crystals of hydroxyapatite (HA), preferentially orientated along the c-axis. Coating characterization is the base of this work, where we discuss the mechanisms related to the deposition of oriented hydroxyapatite thin films. It is shown that when deposited on titanium alloys, the HA coating is constituted by two distinct regions with different morphologies: at a distance of few microns from the substrate, large HA single crystals are oriented along the c-axis and appear to grow up from a base material, consisting in an amorphous HA. This organized system has a great importance for cell investigation once the variables involved in the cell/surface interaction are reduced. The use of such systems could give a new insight on the effect of particular HA orientation on the osteoblast cells.