The effect of deposition electrolyte on polypyrrole surface interaction with biological environment

Abstract

The effects of electrolyte type used in electrodeposition of polypyrrole (PPy) films on Ti6Al7Nb alloy was studied in order to design a titanium modified surface with enhanced antibacterial activity and better biocompatibility. Therefore, the polypyrrole coatings were synthesized by potentiostatic electrochemically technique from pyrrole and lithium perchlorate (LiClO4) using aqueous and non-aqueous solutions. The both PPy films were characterized by electrochemical methods in Hank's Balanced Salt Solution (HBSS), and surface characterization by Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) analysis, adhesion test and contact angle measurements. A correlation between the film stability and surface properties, synthesis parameters and the interaction with biological environment was established. The physical-chemical properties of the studied PPy films are in direct related with the doping level and have an important influence of the biocompatibility and antibacterial activity.