The primary application of thermally sprayed coatings in medicine concerns coatings on prostheses. The prostheses are made of bio-inert materials, such as stainless steel, CoCrMo alloy or TiAlV alloy.
The prostheses, which are coated today, are those of:
Hip
Knee
Arm
Tooth
Bio-inert coatings should fulfil the following requirements;
A large porosity, in order to enlarge the surface of the prosthesis
Biocompatibility and stability in the body
Reasonably good adhesion to the prosthesis
The coating must not become detached after ‘in-growth’ of the bone.