Influence of boron addition on the phase transformation, microstructure, mechanical and in-vitro cellular properties of bredigite-type coatings deposited by a spin coating technique

Doped calcium silicates, e.g. bredigite (Ca7MgSi4O16) have recently become a growing interest in biomedicine thanks to outstanding biocompatibility, bioactivity, and improved mechanical properties when compared to calcium phosphate counterparts. Here, we have produced thin bredigite-type coatings on Ti6Al4V substrate by the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) assisted sol-gel spin-coating technique and studied the influence of boron incorporation (0.5 and 1.0 mol) on the microstructural, phase, nanomechanical, and in-vitro cellular properties of deposited coatings. Chemical and structural analysis of the coatings was thoroughly performed by Focussed Ion Beam Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM/FIB), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), differential thermal analysis (DTA-TG), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and Fourier-Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), while the nanomechanical properties were evaluated by nanoindentation and nanoscratch tests. Overall, all deposited films were smooth and porous composed of ~25–50 nm nanoparticles. The boron incorporation increased the coating thickness as a result of PVA interaction with borate ions. The nanomechanical properties (Young’s modulus, nanohardness, critical load for cracking) decreased by the boron addition as a result of decreasing the strength of grain boundaries between the nanoparticles. The in-vitro contact cytotoxicity testing revealed high proliferation of the osteoblast cells in all coatings giving the potential of application in orthopedics