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. 2023 Jun 7;10(6):693.
doi: 10.3390/bioengineering10060693.

Enhancement of Antibacterial Properties, Surface Morphology and In Vitro Bioactivity of Hydroxyapatite-Zinc Oxide Nanocomposite Coating by Electrophoretic Deposition Technique

Waseem Akram  1 , Rumaisa Zahid  2 , Raja Muhammad Usama  2 , Salman Ali AlQahtani  3 , Mostafa Dahshan  4 , Muhammad Abdul Basit  2 , Muhammad Yasir  2
Affiliations

Enhancement of Antibacterial Properties, Surface Morphology and In Vitro Bioactivity of Hydroxyapatite-Zinc Oxide Nanocomposite Coating by Electrophoretic Deposition Technique

Waseem Akram et al. Bioengineering (Basel). .

Abstract

To develop medical-grade stainless-steel 316L implants that are biocompatible, non-toxic and antibacterial, such implants need to be coated with biomaterials to meet the current demanding properties of biomedical materials. Hydroxyapatite (HA) is commonly used as a bone implant coating due to its excellent biocompatible properties. Zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles are added to HA to increase its antibacterial and cohesion properties. The specimens were made of a stainless-steel grade 316 substrate coated with HA-ZnO using the electrophoretic deposition technique (EPD), and were subsequently characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), stylus profilometry, electrochemical corrosion testing and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Additionally, cross-hatch tests, cell viability assays, antibacterial assessment and in vitro activity tests in simulated body fluid (SBF) were performed. The results showed that the HA-ZnO coating was uniform and resistant to corrosion in an acceptable range. FTIR confirmed the presence of HA-ZnO compositions, and the in vitro response and adhesion were in accordance with standard requirements for biomedical materials. Cell viability confirmed the viability of cells in an acceptable range (>70%). In addition, the antibacterial activity of ZnO was confirmed on Staphylococcus aureus. Thus, the HA-ZnO samples are recommended for biomedical applications.

Keywords: electrophoretic deposition; hydroxyapatite; invitro study; nanocomposites; surface morphology; zinc oxide.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Schematic illustration of development of HA-ZnO-based coatings: (a) suspension preparation, (b) electrophoretic deposition (EPD) technique.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Scanning electron microscopy and EDS of (a–c) hydroxyapatite (HA) nanopowder and (d–f) zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Scanning electron microscopy of SS 316L substrate (a) at 10 µm and (b) at 5 µm.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Elemental compositions (EDS) of SS 316L substrate.
Figure 5
Figure 5
SEM morphology of HA-ZnO coating on SS 316L substrate (a) at 5 µm, (b) 1 µm and (c) 50 nm.
Figure 6
Figure 6
EDS Color maps of (a) HA-ZnO coating on SS substrate. (b) Elemental compositions of HA-ZnO coating.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Elemental compositions (EDS) of HA-ZnO coating on SS 316L substrate.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Cross-sectional view and thickness of HA-ZnO coating.
Figure 9
Figure 9
Surface roughness (Ra) of uncoated SS and HA-ZnO coating.
Figure 10
Figure 10
Tafel plot of bare/uncoated SS and HA-ZnO coating in SBF.
Figure 11
Figure 11
FTIR Spectra of HA-ZnO EPD coating.
Figure 12
Figure 12
Cross-hatch tape test result of HA-ZnO coating.
Figure 13
Figure 13
XRD results of HA-ZnO.
Figure 14
Figure 14
SEM images of HA-ZnO coating after immersion in SBF for (a) 24 h; (b) 72 h; (c) 120 h; (d) 168 h.
Figure 15
Figure 15
Percentage weight gain of HA-ZnO-coated samples after immersion in SBF.
Figure 16
Figure 16
Cell viability of HA-ZnO-coated sample (value = mean ± SD, N = 3).
Figure 17
Figure 17
Antibacterial activity of SS 316L and HA-ZnO-coated samples in (a) Staphylococcus aureus (Gram-positive) medium and (b) Escherichia coli (Gram-negative) medium.
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