The main objective of this Project is to fabricate, in a single-step PLD process, innovative biomimetic metallic implant coatings from sustainable, low-cost marine-derived hydroxyapatite (MdHA) resources. These structures will present increased mechanical properties and excellent biocompatibility. In addition, the prevention of bacterial adhesion and further biofilm development are also envisaged. In a context of sustainable development and competitiveness, the accomplishment of this goal will enable the fabrication of considerably lower-cost medical devices, with faster osseointegration rates and long-time stability inside the living body.
Other specific objectives:
‒ to deliver protocols containing optimized deposition parameters for the synthesis of novel materials (MdHA coatings, simple or doped with various concentrations of reactive agents);
‒ to tailor the adherence at the film-substrate interface;
‒ to synthesise both biocompatible and antimicrobial MdHA coatings;
‒ to use small-area deposition metallic substrates;
‒ to identify the roughness values for optimum cell viability, proliferation and adhesion, by tailoring the deposition parameters according to the biological feedback;
‒ to disseminate the obtained results.
Expected results
‒ optimized protocols to (i) extract HA from MdHA materials and (ii) obtain compact targets for PLD experiments;
‒ protocols to prepare the surface of medical-grade implants by laser irradiation and chemical etching;
‒ optimized protocols to synthesize high-quality MdHA coatings, with bonding strength adherence values superior to those imposed by international standard;
‒ morphological, compositional and structural complex investigation techniques as key-factors for choosing the best fabricated coatings for an optimized in vitro response;
‒ tests in simulated physiological solutions as preliminary evaluation of the biomineralization capability of the MdHA coatings;
‒ fabrication of both biocompatible and antimicrobial MdHA coatings, as viable substitutes to the synthetic HA ones;
‒ dissemination of the obtained results in prestigious ISI journals and delivering of oral/poster communications at National/International Conferences, Workshops and Schools in the field;
‒ web page, edited and up-dated regularly, containing the most representative results of the Project.