Sol–gel surface modification of selective laser melting Ti6Al4V for biomedical applications

Ti6Al4V metallic alloys are widely used in clinical applications for bone replacement and open reduction internal fixation (ORIF). Despite being lightweight and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) compatible, Ti6Al4V has an inappropriate surface morphology that can cause implant loosening. In this study, Ti6Al4V was fabricated by using selective laser melting (SLM) technology to evaluate cell adhesion and bone remodeling. Initially, the sample underwent acid etching (AE) with hydrofluoric acid (HF) following 180 s and 300 s of sol–gel modifications with bioactive hydroxyapatite (HA) and silver nitrate (AgNO₃). The result showed that the Ag 180 s modification showed an increase in the surface arithmetic average roughness (Ra) of 4.213 µm. In in vitro test using simulated body fluid (SBF), it revealed the thickest deposition of Ca/P apatite on HA 300 s. After 96-h incubation of osteosarcoma cancer cell (MG63) culture, Ag 300 s demonstrated the highest proliferation rate of osteogenic-induced confirming biocompatibility. The findings demonstrate that the bioactive modification enhanced the biological performance and antibacterial capabilities prior to clinical application.