DETERMINATION OF THE STABILITY OF LASER-DEPOSITED APATITE COATINGS INPHOSPHATE BUFFERED SALINE SOLUTION USING FOURIER-TRANSFORM INFRARED (FTIR) SPECTROSCOPY

We report the use of grazing angle Fourier transform infrared spectros copy for determination of the stability to erosion of hydroxyapatite c oatings. A series of coatings were deposited by pulsed laser ablation onto titanium foils. The coatings were exposed to a phosphate buffered saline solution, and FTIR spectroscopy was used to monitor the deplet ion of infrared bands associated with phosphate moieties in the hydrox yapatite coatings. The technique allows determintion of the effects of the laser deposition parameters upon the stability to erosion of the coatings.