General Chemistry Department, University Politehnica of Bucharest, Romania
As a new generation of metallic biomaterials, magnesium alloys [1] with or without surface modifications have attracted a great number of investigations due to their biodegradability making possible avoiding their removal after the implant functions have been fulfilled. The need to control the evolution of hydrogen generation lead to several type of coatings able to help the implants to achieve an accelerated osseointegration and induce antibacterial effects.The present study aims to propose a new biomimetic coating on MgAlZn alloy functionalized with biomolecules to accelerate osseointegration.
The new coating was evaluated and compared with non coated samples establishing its more performant characteristics from the point of view of structure, composition and topography. (scanning electronic microscopy with energy dispersive system, atomic force microscopy, X-Rays, and contact angle measurements)
The stability and degradability of new modified alloy was preliminary tested in simulated body fluids using electrochemical procedures.
The new coating provides improved corrosion resistance to Mg alloys and is a promising approach to enhance the performance of Mg-based biomaterials for orthopaedic applications.