Electrophoretically deposited curcumin/sodium alginate coatings enhanced with cellulose nanofibers for short-term titanium bone implants - replication data

The aim of this study was to develop multicomponent sodium alginate (SA)/curcumin (CURC) coatings enhanced with cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) on titanium substrates. Electrophoretic deposition (EPD) was employed to fabricate the coatings, and their microstructure, adhesion performance, surface properties and antibacterial activity were subsequently investigated. The suspension containing all of the coating components exhibited a highly negative zeta potential at the deposition pH, confirming its suitability for anodic EPD. It was possible to obtain coatings featuring uniformly distributed spherical CURC particles embedded within the polymeric matrix, along with CNFs of varying diameters and lengths. The coating roughness increased with rising CURC content in the suspension used for the EPD. Additionally, all of the coated substrates demonstrated a reduced water contact angle in comparison to that of the uncoated titanium substrate. A significant reduction in current densities and an increase in impedance values for coated samples suggest an improvement in corrosion immunity in Hanks’ solution in contrast to the bare Ti substrate. Microbiological studies have also confirmed the superb antibacterial effect of elaborated coatings against the S. aureus strain. These findings highlight the potential of SA/CURC/CNF coatings as a promising natural strategy for mitigating biofilm growth on titanium bone implants.