Wladislaw Habermann

Bachelor student

Electrophoretic deposition (EPD) of advanced bioactive and antibacterial zein-based coatings on
titanium for biomedical applications

 

Supervisors: Zoya Hadzhieva, Prof. Aldo R. Boccaccini

Electrophoretic deposition (EPD) has become an important method for the surface modification of biomaterials, including bioactive and antibacterial coatings on metallic materials [1]. This study investigates coatings based on various systems containing the natural polymer zein. These coatings shoud offer the possibility of sustained release of bioactive and antibacterial agents by developing coatings that incorporate drug-loaded zein-particles. Here, the influence of the coating matrix and the drug type on the coating properties will be investigated. Another aspect to be investigated is the influence of the conditions of pre-treated titanium substrates on the coating properties. In addition, the zein-based coatings will be characterized in terms of their enzymatic degradation, drug release capability and swelling behaviour.

[1] A.R. Boccaccini, S. Keim, R. Ma, Y. Li & I. Zhitomirsky. (2010). Electrophoretic deposition of
biomaterials. J. R. Soc. Interface, 7, 581. doi: 10.1098/rsif.2010.0156.focus