In vitro investigation of electrophoretically deposited bioactive hydroxyapatite/chitosan coatings reinforced by graphene

Graphene (Gr) and natural polymer chitosan (CS) were introduced to hydroxyapatite (HAP) to produce a three-component composite coating, which was fabricated by cathodic electrophoretic deposition on Ti substrates in an ethanol suspension. These HAP/CS/Gr coatings were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and electrochemical measurements and found that the graphene into HAP/CS composites significantly improves their morphology, thermal stability, and bioactivity. Both HAP/CS and HAP/CS/Gr composite coatings are classified as non-cytotoxic when tested against healthy peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), while antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coil could not be verified. (C) 2016 The Korean Society of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.