Hydroxyapatite (HA)-coated
metals are biocompatible composites,
which have potential for various applications for bone replacement
and regeneration in the human body. In this study, we proposed the
design of biocompatible, flexible composite implants by using a metal
mesh as substrate and HA coating as bone regenerative stimulant derived
from a simple sol–gel method. Experiments were performed to
understand the effect of coating method (dip-coating and drop casting),
substrate material (titanium and stainless steel) and substrate mesh
characteristics (mesh size, weave pattern) on implant’s performance.
HA-coated samples were characterized by X-ray diffractometer, transmission
electron microscope, field-emission scanning electron microscope,
nanoindenter, polarization and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy,
and biocompatibility test. Pure or biphasic nanorod HA coating was
obtained on mesh substrates with thicknesses varying from 4.0 to 7.9
μm. Different coating procedures and number of layers did not
affect crystal structure, shape, or most intense plane reflections
of the HA coating. Moduli of elasticity below 18.5 GPa were reported
for HA-coated samples, falling within the range of natural skull bone.
Coated samples led to at least 90% cell viability and up to 99.5%
extracellular matrix coverage into a 3-dimensional network (16.4%
to 76.5% higher than bare substrates). Fluorescent imaging showed
no antagonistic effect of the coatings on osteogenic differentiation.
Finer mesh size enhanced coating coverage and adhesion, but a low
number of HA layers was preferable to maintain open mesh areas promoting
extracellular matrix formation. Finally, electrochemical behavior
studies revealed that, although corrosion protection for HA-coated
samples was generally higher than bare samples, galvanic corrosion
occurred on some samples. Overall, the results indicated that while
HA-coated titanium grade 1 showed the best performance as a potential
implant, HA-coated stainless steel 316 with the finest mesh size constitutes
an adequate, lower cost alternative.