Current state of art smart coatings for orthopedic implants: A comprehensive review

Biomaterials play a pivotal role in modern orthopedics. There are a plethora of functional issues with orthopedic implants. These issues include things like aseptic loosening, lack of osseointegration, biofilm formation, and infections. Researchers have devised several surface modification procedures, including coating the implant surfaces, to address these problems. Implant coatings serve as a bridge between the implant and the surrounding bio components. One of the creative methods is to modify surfaces using smart coatings. Smart coatings can detect environmental cues like temperature, pH, light, and so on and in turn react facultatively to the tissues. A particular stimulus and its specific role in orthopedic implant coatings are of our interest. Some coatings, known as dual-acting coatings, allow for the utilization of one or more stimuli in addition to the individual stimulus as a trigger. Based on the stimuli that they react to, we have highlighted the most cutting-edge smart orthopedic implant coatings in the current review.