Preparation and characterization of electrodeposited calcium phosphate/chitosan coating on Ti6Al4V plates

Electrolytically deposited carbonate apatite coating demonstrates higher strength but weaker support for bone marrow stromal cell attachment than do biomimetically deposited coatings. It is hypothesized that the incorporation of chitosan will increase the biocompatibility of electrolytic coating while maintaining its original strength. To verify this hypothesis, we formed a hybrid calcium phosphate/chitosan coating through electrodeposition. We found that the incorporation of chitosan influenced calcium phosphate formation and crystallization. Moreover, coating thickness and surface roughness decreased with increasing chitosan concentration. Hybrid coating exhibited an increased dissolution rate in both acidic and neutral simulated physiologic solution, whereas no significant difference on adhesive strength was found between the hybrid and original coatings (P > 0.05). Most importantly, the calcium phosphate/chitosan coating proved to be a more favorable surface for goat bone marrow stromal cell attachment than an unincorporated coating (P < 0.01). Considering its economic and simple production, a hybrid calcium phosphate/chitosan coating is thought to be an attractive candidate for future applications.