The present work describes a method of growing hydroxyapatite (HA, bone and teeth like mineral) on modified surfaces of stainless steel (SS), silicon (S) and silica glass (SG) in an open-type deposition system, where the substrate is immersed in a liquid precursor solution (simulated body fluid, SBF) and soaked for 4 days. The samples are prepared by implantation of Na+ ions through a mask with a definite design. A subsequent step of thermal treatment at 873 K in air is employed to induce surface OH- groups through ion exchanging processes in SBF, thereby inducing HA growth. The grown structures are analyzed by SEM, EDX, FTIR and Raman spectroscopy. It is shown that the implantation of Na+ ions results in the patterning of the surfaces with a controlled distribution of active nucleation sites. Correlation of structural and morphological data is discussed in terms of surface modification.

Keywords: hydroxyapatite, Patterned Surfaces, Ion Implantation, Growth