Effects of Oxygen Content on Bioactivity of Titanium Oxide Films Fabricated on Titanium by Electron Beam Evaporation

The titanium oxide films were fabricated on titanium metal by e-beam deposition technique in various oxygen partial pressures in order to investigate the effects of oxygen content in titanium oxide film on the bioactivity of titanium implant. The nano-sized titanium oxide particles were observed on the surface of specimens. Raman spectra showed that titanium oxide films deposited by e-beam evaporator had oxygen deficient TiO₂ structure. The oxygen content in oxide films was calculated from the high resolution XPS spectra of Ti 2p. The densities of HA particles formed on the sample surfaces after immersion test in SBF became higher as the contents of oxygen in titanium oxide films increased. We concluded that the degree of hydroxyl group formation in SBF depended on the stoichiometry of TiO₂, which enhanced the bioactivity of titanium.