ABSTRACT
In order to prevent corrosion, aluminum nanoparticles were coated with a polyurethane polymer. The coverage of the polyurethane polymer was controlled from 0 to 100%, which changed the corrosion rate of the nanoparticles quantitatively. The surface of the polymer coating was investigated by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), and the corrosion resistance of the nanoparticles was estimated by a wet/dry corrosion test on a Pt plate with a NaCl solution. From a TEM with EDAX analysis, the 10 mass% polymer coated Al particles in the synthesis were almost 100% covered on the surface by a polymer film of 10 nm thick. On the other hand, the 3 mass% polymer coated Al was almost 40% covered by a film. In the AFM, the potential around the Al particles had a relatively low value with the polymer coating, which indicated that the conductivity of the Al was isolated from the Pt plate by the polymer. Both the corrosion and H2 evolution reaction rates were quantitatively reduced by the mass% of polymer coating. In the case of the 10 mass% coated sample, there was no corrosion of Al nanoparticles. This fact suggested that the electrochemical reaction was suppressed by the polymer coating. Moreover, the reaction rate of Al nanoparticles was suppressed in proportion to the coverage percentage of the coating. Thus, to conclude, it was found that the corrosion rate of Al nanoparticles could be quantitatively suppressed by the coverage percentage of the polymer coating.
ABSTRACT
The 316 L stainless steel is one of the most commonly available commercial implant materials with a few limitations in its ease of biocompatibility and long-standing performance. Hence, porous TiO(2)/ZrO(2) nanocomposite coated over 316 L stainless steels was studied for their enhanced performance in terms of its biocompatibility and corrosion resistance, following a sol-gel process via dip-coating technique. The surface composition and porosity texture was studied to be uniform on the substrate. Biocompatibility studies on the TiO(2)/ZrO(2) nanocomposite coatings were investigated by placing the coated substrate in a simulated body fluid (SBF). The immersion procedure resulted in the complete coverage of the TiO(2)/ZrO(2) nanocomposite (coated on the surface of 316 L stainless steel) with the growth of a one-dimensional (1D) rod-like carbonate-containing apatite. The TiO(2)/ZrO(2) nanocomposite coated specimens showed a higher corrosion resistance in the SBF solution with an enhanced biocompatibility, surpassing the performance of the pure oxide coatings. The cell viability of TiO(2)/ZrO(2) nanocomposite coated implant surface was examined under human dermal fibroblasts culture, and it was observed that the composite coating enhances the proliferation through effective cellular attachment compared to pristine 316 L SS surface.
