Development, characterization, and biocompatibility and corrosion analyses of a silver-decorated graphene oxide and chitosan surface coating for titanium dental implants: A preliminary report

Background. Dental implants are increasingly favored as a therapeutic replacement option for edentulism. Titanium (Ti), due to its excellent biocompatibility and unique osseointegration properties, is commonly used in dental implants. Various surface modifications have been explored to improve osseointegration outcomes. Graphene oxide (GO) is a promising material with various applications. Chitosan, found in the exoskeleton of crustaceans and in marine algae, has several biomedical applications. Silver (Ag) is another promising antibacterial agent that increases permeability and damages the bacterial cell membrane upon binding. Objectives. The present study applied a novel implant surface coating of Ag-decorated GO and chitosan on Ti implants to promote bone formation. We further analyzed the physiochemical and antibacterial properties of this surface coating. Material and methods. A solution was prepared by mixing 3 mL of 1% chitosan solution with 10 mg of Ag-GO nanoparticles (NPs). Titanium metal was heated to 70-80 degrees C on a hotplate and the solution was applied onto Ti to obtain an adhesive surface coating. The coated implant was further analyzed for surface properties, using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis, the attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) technique, and the biocompatibility and corrosion analyses. Results. The SEM analysis revealed a homogenously spread, rough, fibrillar and porous layer of coating on the metal surface. The EDX and ATR-FTIR analyses confirmed the successful coating of the implant surface with Ag-decorated GO and chitosan layers. The cell culture assay demonstrated excellent biocompatibility of the surface coating. The corrosion analysis showed improved corrosion resistance of the developed imdifferentiation and proliferation while maintaining an antimicrobial environment on the implant surface.