Bioactive hydroxyapatite/graphene composite coating and its corrosion stability in simulated body fluid

• Bioactive HAP/Gr coating on Ti was successfully obtained by EPD.
• Increased fracture toughness of the HAP/Gr coating compared to pure HAP coating.
• HAP/Gr coating exhibited superior biomimetic mineralization vs. pure HAP coating.
• Gr improved the mechanical properties and thermal stability of HAP/Gr coating.
• HAP/Gr coating was classified as non-cytotoxic against the targeted PBMC.

The hydroxyapatite/graphene (HAP/Gr) composite was electrodeposited on Ti using the electrophoretic deposition process to obtain uniform bioactive coating with improved mechanical strength and favorable corrosion stability in simulated body fluid (SBF). Incorporation of Gr was verified by Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis, and X-ray photoelectron analysis. The HAP/Gr composite coating exhibited reduced surface cracks, nearly double the hardness, and elastic modulus increased by almost 50% compared to pure HAP coating, as estimated by a nanoindentation test. The bioactive HAP/Gr composite coating provided a newly formed apatite layer in SBF with enhanced corrosion stability, as evidenced by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The thermal stability of the HAP/Gr coating was improved in comparison to the pure HAP coating, and the Ca/P ratio was closer to the stoichiometric value. No antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus or Escherichia coli could be verified. The HAP/Gr composite coating was classified as non-cytotoxic when tested against healthy peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC).

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