Tailoring ceria stabilized zirconia on Ti-6Al-4V implants by plasma spray coatings to enhance the lifespan of orthopedic implants

In the present study, ceria stabilized zirconia was prepared using various concentration (3 M%,4 M% and 5 M%) and were coated on the top surface of Ti-6Al-4 V substrate. Transformable monoclinic phase synthesized CSZ powders, after coating, transformed into a non-transformable combination of phases (tetragonal and cubic) phases were obtained, as confirmed by XRD analysis. SEM surface morphology and cross-sectional analysis were performed and the results were confirmed that the 5 M% coating exhibited uniform thickness with minimum porosity and crack free surface shows the quality of the coating. In vitro hemocompatibility test using human blood show below 5% which indicates that the tested material is non-hemolytic. Antibacterial activity upon E. coli and S.aureus demonstrated the antimicrobial activity of the coating. It was found in cytotoxicity assessment performed using MG-63 osteoblast showed high cell viability and cell proliferation up to 8 µg/ml concentration and also confirms the non-toxicity nature of the coating. From mechanical evaluation using Vickers microhardness, it shows the enhanced hardness for the coating. Overall, this study proved that the developed plasma sprayed 5 M% ceria doped zirconia coating is a promising candidate for orthopaedic and dental application.