In this study, silver–strontium-doped hydroxyapatite (AgSr-HA)/chitosan composite coatings
were deposited on a 316L stainless steel (SS) substrate via electrophoretic
deposition (EPD). The Taguchi design of experiment (DoE) approach
was used to optimize the EPD parameters such as the applied voltage,
interelectrode spacing, and deposition time. Furthermore, the concentration
of AgSr-HA particles in the suspension was also optimized via the
DoE approach. DoE results demonstrated that the “homogeneous”
coatings were obtained at the deposition time of 7 min, deposition
voltage of 20 V, and at a concentration of 5 g/L AgSr-HA particles
in the suspension. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), energy-dispersive
X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), antibacterial studies, contact angle, and
roughness measurements were performed to characterize the optimized
coatings. SEM images confirmed the deposition of chitosan/AgSr-HA
on the SS substrate. The wettability studies indicated the hydrophilic
nature of the chitosan/AgSr-HA composite coatings, which confirmed
that the developed coatings are suitable for biomedical applications,
e.g., orthopedics. The average surface roughness of the chitosan/AgSr-HA
composite coatings was in a suitable range used to attach the bone
marrow stromal cells. Chitosan/AgSr-HA composite coatings showed an
effective antibacterial effect against Gram-positive and Gram-negative
bacteria. Moreover, the coatings developed apatite crystals on their
surface upon immersion in simulated body fluid.
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