NADES-Mediated Deposition of Potential Biomimetic Drug-Loaded Polypyrrole on Biomedical Ti20Zr5Ta2Ag.

Abstract

A natural deep eutectic solvent (NADES)-based electropolymerization strategy was developed to deposit polypyrrole (PPy) and Naproxen-doped PPy films onto a biomedical Ti-20Zr-5Ta-2Ag high-entropy alloy. Using cyclic voltammetry, chronoamperometry, and chronopotentiometry, coatings were grown potentiostatically (1.2-1.6 V) or galvanostatically (0.5-1 mA) to fixed charge values (1.6-2.2 C). Surface morphology and composition were assessed by optical microscopy, SEM and FTIR, while wettability was quantified via static contact-angle measurements in simulated body fluid (SBF). Electrochemical performance in SBF was evaluated through open-circuit potential monitoring, potentiodynamic polarization, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Drug-release kinetics were determined by UV-Vis spectrophotometry and analyzed using mathematical modelling. Compared to uncoated alloy, PPy and PPy-Naproxen coatings increased hydrophilicity (contact angles reduced from ~31° to <10°), and reduced corrosion current densities from 754 µA/cm² to below 5.5 µA/cm², with polarization resistances rising from 0.06 to up to 37.8 kΩ·cm². Naproxen incorporation further enhanced barrier integrity (R_coat up to 1.4 × 10¹¹ Ω·cm²) and enabled sustained drug release (>90% over 8 days), with diffusion exponents indicating Fickian (n ≈ 0.51) and anomalous (n ≈ 0.67) transport for potentiostatic and galvanostatic coatings, respectively. These multifunctional PPy-Naproxen films combine robust corrosion protection with controlled therapeutic delivery, supporting their potential biomimetic role as smart coatings for next-generation implantable devices.