Bioactive coating from white portland cement deposited by pulsed laser deposition

Objective. We report the study of feasibility to produce the thing bioactive coating from experimental dental cement using pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique. Methods. The targets for PLD system (disks 30 mm in diameter 5 mm thick) were sintered from micronized powder of set Alborg White Portland cement (WPC). The parameters for sintering process were chosen based thermo-gravimetric analysis and differential scanning calorimetry (TGA/DSC). The coatings were deposited by PLD on silicon substrates. The effect of laser power on coating crystallinity and morphology was evaluated by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The material transfer from target to substrate were evaluated by X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS). The bioactivity of deposited films was evaluated by ability produce the hydroxyapatite (HA) layer on a surface of specimen immersed in a simulated body fluid (Dulbecco's Phosphate-Buffered Saline (DPBS). The formation of hydroxyapatite was confirmed by SEM, X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), XRD and micro-Raman spectroscopy. The formation of HA was evaluated after 1, 3, 7, 14, and 21 days of immersion. Results. This study demonstrated that White Portland cement can be used as a target material for manufacturing of bio-functional coatings. The films deposited on Si substrates have mainly amorphous structure; the crystallinity of the film can be achieved by increasing the laser power. The biological performance of deposited films was tested by HA forming ability in simulated body fluid. The HA layer was formed on a coated surface after first day of immersion.