Robin Emmel

Bachelor student

Fabrication and characterization of antibacterial and bioactive coatings for orthopaedic applications

 

Supervisors:  Muhammad Asim Akhtar, Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini

Biomedical coatings exhibiting bioactivity and antibacterial properties are receiving increasing attention to enhance the surface properties of metallic implants [1]. The antibacterial properties of implants are of great importance today, in  particular research being carried out to reduce the usage of antibiotics and thus to slow down the build-up of bacterial resistance. This project is developing and characterizing polymer-bioactive glass composite coatings for implants. Antibacterial properties can be achieved through biopolymers doped with metal ions that are released in a controlled manner. The bioactive properties are achieved through incorporation of bioactive glass particles. As it is well-known, bioactive glasses create a bonelike apatite layer on the implant surface and the ions released by the degradation of bioactive glasses induce osteoconductivity to form optimal conditions for osteointegration. Electrophoretic deposition (EPD), as a versatile and simple room-temperature technique, is being applied to deposit such composite coatings [1].

[1] F. Pishbin, et al., Electrophoretic deposition of chitosan/45S5 Bioglass® composite coatings for orthopaedic applications, Surface and Coatings Technology 205, 2011, 5260-5268.

[2] L. Gritsch, et al., Fabrication and characterization of copper(II)-chitosan complexes as antibiotic-free antibacterial biomaterial, Carbohydrate Polymers, 179, 2018, 370-378.