Carbon nanotube (CNT) reinforced hydroxyapatite composite coatings have been successfully fabricated by laser surface alloying. The phase compositions and the microstructure of the composite coatings were studied using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM). TEM observation showed that a large amount of CNTs can be found with their original tubular morphology in the composite coatings, even though some CNTs react with titanium element in the substrate during laser irradiation. Additionally, measurement on the elastic modulus, hardness of the composite coatings by nanoindentation tests indicated that the mechanical properties are affected by the amount of CNTs in the starting precursor materials. Therefore, CNT reinforced hydroxyapatite composite coating is a promising coating material for high-load-bearing metal implants.

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