Antibacterial Property and Biocompatibility of Plasma Sprayed Hydroxyapatite-Silver Composite Coatings

In this study, vacuum plasma spraying was used to apply hydroxyapatite-silver composite coatings on titanium substrates, which were then exposed to E. coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Staphylococcus aureus. The coatings exhibited excellent antibacterial performance (K > 95%) against all three strains, attributed to the release of silver ions. Cytotoxicity, hemolysis, and simulated body fluid immersion tests showed that added silver affects neither the biocompatibility nor bioactivity of the hydroxyapatite, one of the most widely used medical implant materials due to its close chemical structure with natural bone.