Influence of PCL on mechanical properties and bioactivity of ZrO2-based hybrid coatings synthesized by sol–gel dip coating technique

• ZrO2/PCL organic-inorganic hybrid coatings synthesis via sol-gel dip coating.
• Coatings porosity and bioactivity increase in presence of high PCL amount.
• Coatings Hardness and Young’s modulus decrease in presence of high PCL amount.

The biological properties of medical implants can be enhanced through surface modifications such as to provide a firm attachment of the implant. In this study, organic–inorganic hybrid coatings have been synthesized via sol–gel dip coating. They consist of an inorganic ZrO2 matrix in which different amounts of poly(ε-caprolactone) have been entrapped to improve the mechanical properties of the films. The influence of the PCL amount on the microstructural, biological and mechanical properties of the coating has been investigated. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses have shown that the hybrids used for the coating are homogenous and totally amorphous materials; Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) has demonstrated that hydrogen bonds arise between the organic and inorganic phases. SEM and atomic force microscopy (AFM) have highlighted the nanostructured nature of the film.SEM and EDS analyses, after soaking the samples in a simulated body fluid (SBF), have pointed out the apatite formation on the coating surface, which proves the bone-bonding ability of the nanocomposite bioactive films.Scratch and nano-indentation tests have shown that the coating hardness, stiffness and Young's modulus decrease in the presence of large amounts of the organic phase.