Ion doped apatite coatings by laser ablation

The mineral family of apatites presents the property of being able to incorporate a variety of ions and compounds into its structure [2]. Hydroxyapatite, Ca10(PO4)6(OH)2 (HA), is a member of the apatites group which has been investigated extensively as a biomaterial due to its resemblance to the inorganic phase of bone. The growing evidence of the beneficial role of different ions (Si, Se, Mg, K, Na, F, Sr, ...) in bone tissue has increased the interest of developing ion doped apatites for medical applications, and specifically biocompatible coatings that can be deposited on metallic implants to benefit from their loadbearing capabilities, protection against the release of metal ions into the body and improvement of the implant fixation to hard tissues.