Effects of power level on characteristics of vacuum plasma sprayed hydroxyapatite coating

In this study, hydroxyapatite coatings were obtained with a vacuum plasma s pray system at different power levels that were achieved by altering the pl asma current and voltage. The effects of spray power level on coating chara cteristics were investigated. X-ray diffraction was used to identify the cr ystallinities of as-sprayed coatings, Electron Probe Microanalysis was empl oyed to detect the surface chemical composition of as-sprayed coatings and Scanning Electron Microscopy revealed the microstructure. The results indic ated that spray power greatly affected the crystallinity, chemical composit ion, and microstructure of as-sprayed hydroxyapatite coatings, which were l inked to the melting state of hydroxyapatite powder.