Izaro Solozabal Azcarate

Gaststudentin (Mondragon University, Spain)

Development and characterization of novel multicomponent coatings for biomedical applications

 

Betreuer: Zoya Hadzhieva, Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini

Metallic implants and prosthesis are frequently used to repair or replace damaged bone tissues in orthopedics and dentistry. Among different metals, titanium is an appropriate choice for such applications due to its good biocompatibility, corrosion resistance, mechanical properties and specific strength. However, the risk of bacterial infections and inflammation require the functionalization of the metallic surface with biocompatible and antibacterial coatings. Recent publications indicate that biomaterials based on protein-polysaccharide complexes possess enhanced biodegradability, biocompatibility and mechanical properties for such coating applications [1]. In this context, zein is a natural protein, which shows attractive features of being biodegradable, bioadhesive and potentially antibacterial [2]. The aim of the current project is to develop zein based coatings on titanium substrates by electrophoretic deposition (EPD), incorporating other biological molecules, following previous developments at the FAU Institute of Biomaterials [3, 4]. The developed multicomponent coating systems will be analyzed in terms of their morphological characteristics, chemical composition, biological and bactericidal activity, mechanical properties and enzymatic degradation behavior.

[1] E. Bealer, et al., Protein–Polysaccharide Composite Materials: Fabrication and Applications, Polymers 12 (2020) 464.

[2] N. Meyer, et al., Bioactive and Antibacterial Coatings Based on Zein/Bioactive Glass Composites by Electrophoretic Deposition, Coatings 8 (2018) 27.

[3] L. Ramos-Rivera, et al., Antibacterial, pro-angiogenic and pro-osteointegrative zein-bioactive glass/copper based coatings for implantable stainless steel aimed at bone healing, Bioact. Mater. 6 (2021) 1479-1490.

[4] L. Cordero Arias, et al., Electrophoretic deposition of chondroitin sulfate-chitosan/bioactive glass composite coatings with multilayer design, Surface and Coatings Technology 315 (2017) 417-425.