Amino acid aided electrophoretic deposition of poly(acrylic acid) polymer and composites

Electrophoretic deposition (EPD) is widely used for the formation of organic or composite films. This investigation addresses challenges in the EPD of polymers, drug and polymer-based composites. The novel approach revolves around the use of L-arginine (LARG) amino acid, and it eliminates the difficulties and limitations of traditional methods, which involve the application of inorganic alkalis. Poly(acrylic acid) (PAH) and ibuprofen (IBUH) are used as the model anionic polymer and drug, respectively, for EPD. For the first time, this investigation demonstrates the application of LARG for solubilization of PAH and IBUH. LARG-aided processing facilitates the fabrication of thick, smooth, crack-free films at an enhanced deposition rate. PAH and IBUH can be deposited independently or co-deposited to form composite films. The EPD mechanisms are discussed. The adhesion of PAH and composite PAH-IBUH films measured according to the ASTM D3359–17 standard corresponds to 5B classification. The IBUH loading rate measured using quartz crystal microbalance from 0.1 g L−1 IBUH solutions at a current density of 1 mA cm−2 is 0.85 μgcm−2 s−1 at the beginning of the loading process and it decreases to 0.23 μgcm−2 s−1 after 90 s. Another important avenue is the application of LARG for EPD of composite organic-inorganic PAH-bioceramic films. Feasibility studies are performed on hydrothermal synthesis of TiO2 nanoparticles with different morphologies in the presence of LARG. The LARG-aided manufacturing promotes the stabilization of suspensions for the EPD of composite organic-inorganic films. The results obtained with the aid of LARG can drive the development of other molecules with enhanced functionality for EPD of different organic materials and composites.