ELECTRODEPOSITION OF NANOCOMPOSITE ORGANIC-INORGANIC COATINGS FOR BIOMEDICAL APPLICATIONS

New method has been developed for the fabrication of nanocomposite hydroxyapatite (HA)-chitosan coatings. The method is based on the electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of HA nanoparticles prepared by a chemical precipitation technique, and electrochemical deposition of chitosan macromolecules. The deposit composition can be varied by the variation of HA concentration in chitosan solutions. X-ray studies revealed preferred orientation of HA nanoparticles in the nanocomposites with c-axis parallel to the coating surface. Nanocomposite coatings were obtained on Ti and Pt foils, Ti wires and gauzes. Deposition yield can be controlled by the variation of the deposition time. Coatings of various thicknesses in the range of up to 50 mu m were obtained. The method enables the formation of dense, adherent and uniform deposits on substrates of complex shape. The obtained coatings provide corrosion protection of Ti and can be utilized for the fabrication of advanced biomedical implants.