Evaluation of the possibility of coating hydroxyapatite, carbon nanotube and chitosan polymer on titanium implants and assessment of its biocompatibility

Abstract

Background and purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate the possibility of hydroxyapatite, carbon nanotube and chitosan coating on titanium alloy implants and their biocompatibility. Materials and methods: Thirty-five titanium samples were cut to a diameter and length of 10 mm. After grounding samples were sanded with 1200 grade sandpaper in water, and washed with acid, ethanol, and acetone. Hydroxyapatite was coated by electrophoretic deposition on titanium discs and the coating was confirmed by EDS, SEM and XRD tests. Then carbon nanotube was grafted on hydroxyapatite by esterification reaction and the resulting products were confirmed by SEM and XRD spectroscopy. In the next step, chitosan was grafted on coated carbon nanotube and hydroxyapatite and the resulting product was analyzed and confirmed by SEM and XRD. The biocompatibility of the composite coating on the implant surface was checked by MTT assay. For data analysis, Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was used to check the normality of the data, one-way analysis of variance and spss version 24 software. Results: SEM images showed uniform coverage of hydroxyapatite particles and carbon nanotube. The morphology of titanium coated with hydroxyapatite- carbon nanotube -chitosan also has almost uniform parts with porosities. EDS evaluation indicates Ca and P elements in the titanium coated with hydroxyapatite. Evaluation by XRD confirmed the crystalline nature of each stage of the coating. Biocompatibility evaluation did not show a significant difference between the toxicity of uncoated titanium sample and titanium coated with hydroxyapatite- carbon nanotube -chitosan (P value>0.05). Conclusion: Covering titanium implants with hydroxyapatite by electrophoretic deposition and grafting carbon nanotube and chitosan on it produces a titanium sample with high biocompatibility.