In this study, molybdenum disulfide nanosheets, bioactive hydroxyapatite particles of two types in various amounts, and PEEK 704 microparticles were electrophoretically co-deposited to fabricate multicomponent coatings on Ti-13Nb-13Zr alloy substrates. A mixture of pure ethanol and cationic chitosan polyelectrolyte was used as a dispersion medium. The kinetics and mechanism of deposition were investigated. The kinetics depended significantly on the suspension’s chemical composition and the voltage used during EPD. Cationic chitosan provided the steric stabilization of the suspension and enabled cathodic co-deposition of all coating components. Green macroscopically homogeneous coatings were subsequently heat treated. The treatment densified the coatings and caused the formation of a stable semi-crystalline PEEK matrix consisting of spherulites. The MoS2 nanosheet packages, separate HA particles and their agglomerates were embedded in the coating matrix. After heat treatment, both types of coatings, differing in HA type, were characterized by excellent adhesion to the substrate and moderate scratch resistance. During surface topography investigation, it was found that coatings containing smaller HA nanoparticles had a slightly lower surface roughness. The coatings raised the corrosion resistance of the titanium alloy substrate in Ringer’s solution. The possibility of the electrophoretic co-deposition of various ceramic and PEEK particles to develop multicomponent coatings, as well as their contribution to enhancing titanium alloy surface properties, represents an important input in further developing superior bioactive titanium implants.

In this work, sulfonated polyetheretherketone (S-PEEK)-based coatings, nanocrystalline ZnS and hydroxyapatite (n-HA) particles were developed on Zr-2.5Nb zirconium alloy substrates by electrophoretic deposition (EPD) combined with subsequent heat treatment. The properties of suspensions and deposition kinetics were studied. Cationic chitosan polyelectrolyte ensured the stabilization of the suspension and allowed for the co-deposition of all coating components on the cathode. The heating of the coated samples at a temperature of 450 °C and slow cooling resulted in sulfonation of the PEEK and the formation of dense coatings. The coatings were characterized by high roughness, hardness, modulus of elasticity and adhesion strength. The coatings revealed mild hydrophilicity, improved the electrochemical corrosion resistance of the alloy and induced the formation of hydroxyapatite with a cauliflower-like morphology on its surface during the Kokubo test. This work explored the great development potential of advanced sulfonated PEEK-based coatings, incorporating antibacterial and bioactive components by EPD combined with heat treatment to stimulate the surface properties of zirconium alloy for prospective dental and orthopedic applications. The antibacterial and osteoconductive properties of the obtained coatings should be further investigated.

In this study, multilayered Cu/HA/ZnS + PEEK coatings were fabricated using hybrid technology on Zr–2.5Nb alloy substrates. The use of electrophoretic deposition (EPD) and heat treatment allowed the 1st base composite ZnS + PEEK layer and the 2nd hydroxyapatite (HA) top layer to be obtained. The EPD kinetics of both layers was studied. Heating at a temperature of 450 °C and slow cooling resulted in densification and sulfonation of PEEK. It also led to an increase in the adhesion of HA particles on the surface of the PEEK + ZnS layer and to the settlement of HA particles deep into the 1st layer. The effect of substrate preparation on the adhesion strength of coatings was investigated. The ZnS + PEEK layer exhibited high adhesion to the chemically treated zirconium alloy. Furthermore, the first layer was characterized by a high scratch resistance. The selective distribution of Cu on the top of the coating was obtained by shadow-masked pulsed laser deposition (PLD). The multilayered coatings exhibited high roughness and mild hydrophobicity. This study showed the possibility of obtaining a multilayered coating system with a controlled distribution of bioactive components (HA) and antimicrobial components (Cu) on its surface using a hybrid method that combined EPD, heat treatment, and PLD.

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