A novel chitosan and polydopamine interlinked bioactive coating for metallic biomaterials

Chitosan coatings have shown good bioactive properties such as antibacterial and antiplatelet properties, especially on blood-contacted biomedical materials. However, as blood-contacted biomedical device, the intravascular metal stent has a burden with adverse effects on the structural integrity, such as mechanical load during implantation and substrate degradation if a biodegradable metal is used as the substrate. It is unquestionably true that the structural integrity of the coated stent is essential. The adhesion strength between the coating and the substrate positively affects it. Silane and polydopamine (PDA) interstitial layers have been investigated to improve the corrosion resistance, biosafety and adhesion strength. This work addressed this challenge by using PDA as an intermediate and glutaraldehyde as a linking agent to establish a strong link between the polymer coating and the intermediate coating. Compared with PDA-only and glutaraldehyde-linked silane layer, the novel coating displayed a notable increase in adhesion. When compared with the bare Ni-free stainless steel, the performance of the novel coating was not significantly different. This novel chitosan film on the glutaraldehyde linked-PDA interface can be applied to various metallic substrates where synergic bioactive and anticorrosive effects of PDA interstitial coating and chitosan are needed. Graphical abstract.