Prosthesis loosening due to lack of osteointegration between implant and surrounding bone tissue is one of the most common causes of implant failure. Further, bacterial contamination and biofilm formation onto implants represent a serious complication after surgery. The enhancement of osteointegration can be achieved by using bioactive materials, which promote biological response in the body stimulating bone growth and thus bonding to tissue [1,2]. Through incorporation of antibacterial substances in bioactive, degradable calcium phosphate (CaP) coatings, faster osteointegration and bactericidal properties can be achieved. In this study, suspension sprayed calcium phosphate ceramic coatings with antibacterial properties have been prepared using high-velocity suspension flame spraying (HVSFS). Emphasize was set on the adjustment of the porosity, which allows cell infiltration throughout the coating and thus a better bone ingrowth. The porosity level was adjusted by using different spraying parameters, spraying setups and raspberry or doughnut-like microparticles. The microparticles were spray dried and some of them were doped with copper (Cu) ions to obtain the antibacterial effect. In a second approach, a suspension containing CaP and another containing copper micron-sized particles were simultaneously sprayed axially and radially to form a CaP/copper composite coating.

References
[1] J.R. Jones, 19 - Scaffolds for tissue engineering || Biomaterials, Artificial Organs and Tissue Engineering, 2005, 201-214.
[2] X. Zhao, 1 - Introduction to bioactive materials in medicine || Bioactive Materials in Medicine, 2011, 1-13.