Multilayer bioactive glass/zirconium titanate thin films in bone tissue engineering and regenerative dentistry

Masoud Mozafari,^1,2 Erfan Salahinejad,^1,3 Vahid Shabafrooz,¹ Mostafa Yazdimamaghani,¹ Daryoosh Vashaee,⁴ Lobat Tayebi<sup>1,5

1</sup>Helmerich Advanced Technology Research Center, School of Materials Science and Engineering, Oklahoma State University, Tulsa, OK, USA; ²Biomaterials Group, Faculty of Biomedical Engineering (Center of Excellence), Amirkabir University of Technology, Tehran, Iran; ³Department of Materials Science and Engineering, School of Engineering, Shiraz University, Shiraz, Iran; ⁴Helmerich Advanced Technology Research Center, School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Oklahoma State University, Tulsa, OK, USA; ⁵School of Chemical Engineering, Oklahoma State University, Tulsa, OK, USA

Abstract: Surface modification, particularly coatings deposition, is beneficial to tissue-engineering applications. In this work, bioactive glass/zirconium titanate composite thin films were prepared by a sol-gel spin-coating method. The surface features of the coatings were studied by scanning electron microscopy, atomic force microscopy, and spectroscopic reflection analyses. The results show that uniform and sound multilayer thin films were successfully prepared through the optimization of the process variables and the application of carboxymethyl cellulose as a dispersing agent. Also, it was found that the thickness and roughness of the multilayer coatings increase nonlinearly with increasing the number of the layers. This new class of nanocomposite coatings, comprising the bioactive and inert components, is expected not only to enhance bioactivity and biocompatibility, but also to protect the surface of metallic implants against wear and corrosion.

Keywords: bioactive glass, zirconium titanate, spin-coating, microstructural properties, bone/dental applications, tissue engineering