SOFT BIOACTIVE COATINGS BASED ON ELECTROPHORETICALLY DEPOSITED BIOACTIVE GLASS NANOPARTICLES AND POLYCAPROLACTONE

摘要

In this study composite coatings of polycaprolactone(PCL) and nanosized bioactive glass were produced onstainless steel by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) forbiomedical applications. PCL was dissolved indimethylcarbonate and bioactive glass nanoparticleswere dispersed in ethanol for the deposition. The EPDparameters were varied in terms of voltage, depositiontime, concentration of PCL and bioactive glass (BG) andpH. SEM showed that homogeneous composite coatingsof about 5μm thickness were produced. Contact anglemeasurements indicated that the contact angle and hencethe hydrophobicity of the coatings decreases withincreasing BG content. The bioactivity of the coatingswas investigated by assessing the formation ofhydroxyapatite on coating surfaces in simulated bodyfluid for up to 15 days and investigating the samples byRaman spectroscopy and SEM. EPD was confirmed tobe a suitable technique to produce composite coatingsbased on nanosized bioactive glass and PCL, which areof interest as soft (deformable) bioactive coating inorthopedic applications.