Double Substituted with Manganese and Strontium Tricalcium Phosphate Coatings on Zinc-Lithium Biodegradable Alloys for Biomedical Implant Applications

To address the clinical needs for biodegradable implant materials, in this work, zinc-lithium (Zn-Li) biodegradable alloy was coated with double-doped manganese and strontium resorbable tricalcium phosphate (Mn,Sr-TCP). The Pulsed Laser Deposition method was applied for coating preparation. For coating characterization, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, X-ray Diffraction, Scanning Electron Microscopy coupled with Energy Dispersive X-ray, and X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy were used. The microbiology experiments were performed, testing the inhibition of growth of Gram-positive (Staphylococcus aureus, Enterococcus faecalis) and Gram-negative (Salmonella typhimurium, Escherichia coli) bacteria strains and Candida albicans fungus. The obtained results evidenced about 10% of inhibition of all four bacteria strains by the Mn,Sr-TCP-coated Zn-Li samples, exerting the most pronounced effect on C. albicans fungus (about 50% of inhibition of growth). The prepared coatings can be useful for improving the degradation behavior and biological characteristics of Zn-Li alloys.