Abstract
Zinc (Zn) distinguishes itself as an excellent candidate for temporary orthopaedic implants due to its advantageous corrosion rate compared to other biodegradable metallic materials like Mg and Fe. The present research involved the fabrication of a porous, corrosion-resistant, and biocompatible plasma electrolytic oxidation (PEO) coating on a Zn–1Mg alloy. Bioactivity was imparted to the PEO coating by incorporating hydroxyapatite (HA) and silver-incorporated hydroxyapatite (SHA) nanoparticles into it by synergising the PEO process with electrophoretic deposition (EPD) in a single step. FESEM and EDS are utilised to confirm the porous PEO oxide layer formation and its sealing by HA and SHA particles in PEO-EPD coating. The coatings' phase composition, surface roughness, scratch resistance, and wettability were evaluated to assess their suitability for temporary implant applications. The coatings’ wettability and roughness significantly improved compared to the untreated substrate, rendering it suitable for orthopaedic implant applications. The scratch resistance of the PEO coating was satisfactory and showed additional improvement in the thicker film with lower porosity, achieved through the combined PEO-EPD process. The electrochemical corrosion test in biological media revealed that the PEO coating enhanced the degradation resistance of Zn–1Mg, which was further enhanced by incorporating HA and SHA particles into the PEO coating. The in-vitro bioactivity test in simulated body fluid (SBF) and cytotoxicity test using L929 (Mouse fibroblast) cells proved that adding HA made the fabricated PEO coating biologically more favourable. Furthermore, the SHA-incorporated PEO coating is antibacterial against E. coli bacterial strains, enabling protection against post-implantation infections.
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