The investigation of SiO2-P2O5-CaO-ZrO2 glass-ceramic coating bioactive on zirconium by sol-gel method

Zirconium and its alloys are frequently used in orthopedic medicine and in comparison with stainless steel, titanium and other metals used in the manufacture of implants; the strength and corrosion resistance is more. In this research, ceramic glass SiO2- P2O5-CaO-ZrO2 was coated by sol gel method on zirconium. Bioactivity of the coatings was evaluated by immersion in SBF solution. The prepared samples before and after immersion in SBF solution was analyzed using X-ray diffraction techniques (XRD) and infra-red spectroscopy (FTIR). Morphology and quality of coatings were examined by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results show that by replacing calcium with zirconium the obtained apatite structure can be considered in the form of Ca10-xZrx(PO4)6(OH)2. Also, the coating consist of very fine particles and by increasing of zirconia content a uniform coating with lower porosity is obtained.