Deposition of poly(methyl methacrylate) and composites containing bioceramics and bioglass by dip coating using isopropanol-water co-solvent

A new dip coating method has been developed for the fabrication of poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) coatings on stainless steel. Despite the insolubility of PMMA in individual solvents, such as water and alcohol, concentrated solutions of high molecular mass PMMA were obtained in an isopropanol-water mixture. The new dip coating method offers processing advantages of the use of isopropanol-water co-solvent instead of toxic organic solvents. It was been demonstrated that adherent films can be obtained by this method from solutions of high molecular mass PMMA. Another important finding was the feasibility of deposition of composite coatings, containing bioceramics, such as TiO2, Al2O3, hydroxyapatite, and bioglass in the PMMA matrix. PMMA acted as a dispersant or co-dispersant for deposition or co-deposition of the inorganic particles. Potentiodynamic and impedance spectroscopy studies showed that PMMA coatings provided corrosion protection of stainless steel in 3 % NaCl solution. Composite PMMA-TiO2, PMMA-Al2O3, PMMA-hydroxyapatite, PMMA-bioglass and PMMA-hydroxyapatite-bioglass coatings provided enhanced corrosion protection, compared to pure PMMA coatings. The obtained composite coatings are promising for applications in biomedical implants.