Betty León & John Jansen 
Thin Calcium Phosphate Coatings for Medical Implants 

Calcium phosphate coatings ( 50 mm thick), especially those made with hyd- xyapatite (HA), produced by the plasma-spraying process have been succe- fully used on orthopedic and dental implants to improve fixation of these implants in bone. Thin calcium phosphate coatings ( 10mm thick) formed by various techniques other than plasma spraying may be the successor of the current thick plasma-sprayed coatings because of their improved properties. Like plasma-sprayed HA coatings, these alternative calcium phosphate thin coatings are capable of enabling bone formation on their surfaces and forming a bond with the newly formed bone. In addition, the thin calcium phosphate coatings have shown better adhesion to substrates and are more stable in the biological environment because they have more uniform structure and com- sition than plasma-sprayed HA coatings. Moreover, some of these thin calcium phosphate coatings can be formed on all kinds of substrates including polymers and on the entire surfaces of complex geometries such as porous surfaces.

Cuprins

Physicochemistry of Apatite and Its Related Calcium Phosphates.- Characterization of Thin Calcium Phosphate Coating.- In Vitro and In Vivo Evaluation of Thin Calcium Phosphate Coatings.- Pulsed Laser Deposition of Thin Calcium Phosphate Coatings.- Ion Beam Techniques for Thin Calcium Phosphate Coating Production.- Calcium Phosphate Coating Produced by a Sputter Deposition Process.- Silicon-Substituted Hydroxyapatite Thin Films.- Electrochemically Assisted Deposition of Thin Ca P Coatings.- Electrosprayed Calcium Phosphate Coating for Biomedical Purposes.- Biomimetic Coatings and Their Biological Functionalization.