Electrophoretic Deposition and Characterization of Curcumin/Chitosan Coatings

The purpose of the study was to investigate the electrophoretic deposition (EPD) route, microstructure and surface properties of composite curcumin/chitosan coatings on commercially pure titanium substrates for biomedical applications. Multiple routes of preparation of the dispersed systems for the EPD process and their electrokinetic properties have been investigated to obtain homogeneous coatings. The zeta potential of solutions with various curcumin content in ethanol or isopropanol proved their relatively low electrophoretic mobility. Thus, curcumin was co-deposited with chitosan molecules on the cathode. The surface morphology of the coatings consisted of submicrometric curcumin particles embedded in the chitosan matrix. The increase in the curcumin content in the ethanol caused large agglomerates and undissolved curcumin particles to appear on the coating surface. The coatings were characterized by high adhesion to the substrate and a water contact angle in the range of 85 degrees to 95 degrees. The coatings changed the zeta potential of the titanium surface from significantly negative (-46.7 +/- 2.3 mV) to less negative values (-20.6 +/- 2.6 mV). The developed coatings are promising for mitigating biofilm formation on the surface of titanium bone implants.