Muhammad Asim Akhtar

PhD student

Bioactive coatings on 2D and 3D substrates for orthopedic applications

Betreuer: Prof. Dr.-Ing. habil. Aldo R. Boccaccini

Millions of patients are involved in new and revisionary surgeries every year. The demand for orthopedic surgery increases continuously and infections involved in these surgeries enhance these number manyfold. The objective of this research project is the development of bioactive as well as antibacterial coated materials that could reduce the incidence of infection in orthopedic implants and bone tissue scaffolds. In particular, we will focus on composite coatings composed of metal doped bioactive glasses, biopolymers and bioactive molecules on 2D and 3D substrates relevant for bone tissue engineering and orthopedic applications. Coatings will be obtained by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) [1] and other suitable room temperature techniques. The study will include a complete characterisation of the bactericidal activity, cell-material interaction and drug delivery capability of the new coatings. Degradation and corrosion behavior will be analyzed under application-relevant conditions.

[1] J. Karbowniczek, et al., Electrophoretic deposition of organic/inorganic composite coatings containing ZnO nanoparticles exhibiting antibacterial properties, Mater. Sci. Eng. C 77 (2017) 780-789.