Preparation and characterization of implanted Fe catalyst in hydroxyapatite layer for uniformly dispersion carbon nanotube growth

An effective distribution of CNT within the HA can significantly improve the reinforcing efficiency. This paper describes a pulsed electrodeposition aided injection chemical vapor deposition (ICVD) for the preparation of a carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforced hydroxyapatite (HA) composite coating. The process involved the pulsed electrodeposition of HA and Fe catalyst, followed by the in situ ICVD synthesis of CNT. The CNT formed uniform distribution within the resulting CNT reinforced HA (CNT/HA) composite coating and bonded tightly with the HA. The CNT/HA composite coating exhibited a 1.73 times higher shear bonding strength than that of the pure HA coating. Simulated body fluid (SBF) experiment results have shown that the CNT/HA composite coating induced bone-like apatite and confirmed the bioactivity of the coating. Further electro-polarization tests have shown that the catalyst Fe reduced the equilibrium potential of the CNT/HA composite coating in the SBF solution, compared with the pure HA coating.