Fe-hydroxyapatite coatings for bone tissue engineering applications.

In the present study, the Pulsed Laser Deposition technique was used to coat titanium for orthopaedic and dental implant applications. The Fe-hydroxyapatite (1 wt% of Fe) was applied as coating material since titanium itself is unable to elicit a biologically functional bone/material interface. Doping hydroxyapatite with Fe enhances proliferation of osteoblast-like cells. Furthermore, it creates the conditions for magnetic stimulation in situ by means of an external magnetic field, emerging as an innovative approach in the field of regenerative medicine. In this context, the main objective of this work was to optimize the deposition parameters in order to deposit films suitable for biomedical applications, ensuring necessary structural, chemical, morphological and mechanical characteristics.