Evaluation of the corrosion resistance and biology properties for titanium surface coated with various composite coatings

Abstract

With the increasing maturity of medical techniques, the implantation of biomaterials into the human body has been identified as a viable solution for treating certain dental and orthopaedic diseases. Titanium (Ti) is typically used as a metallic biomaterial in this process and plays a crucial role in dental and orthopaedic processes. However, these biomaterials still require the use of surface modification techniques. This study aims to apply nanoceramics in metal implants without damaging the substrate and without the need for further heat treatment for the adhesion of composite coatings. Additionally, the effect of using a vitamin (fish oil) as an inhibitor to prevent the corrosion of the titanium implant was investigated. In this study, a Ti substrate was separately coated with composite layers containing polyvinyl alcohol with 3% nano-hydroxyapatite and 3% nano titanium dioxide. The coating process was conducted using a dip coating technique. The prepared specimens were then tested using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, contact angle, atomic force microscopy (AFM), corrosion, antibacterial and cytotoxicity tests. The results demonstrate that the obtained coating layer improved the wettability, antibacterial and cytotoxicity characteristics of the Ti substrate. Additionally, the corrosion resistance improved after coating and increased with increasing corrosion inhibitor concentration. The AFM results revealed that the coating layer was deposited in a thin film with a homogenous morphology. Finally, the obtained results were statistically analysed using an analysis of variance and were found to be statistically significant (P < 0.05). Overall, the results reveal that the modified Ti surface produced metal implants with long-term durability.