Surface characteristics of mussel-inspired polydopamine coating on titanium substrates

Abstract

Mussel adhesive proteins are non-toxic, biodegradable and have low immunogenic qualities that make them highly attractive for medical purposes compared with man-made materials. 3,4-DOPA, which is a dopamine precursor, is a critical element for achieving mussel-like adhesive properties. In present study, polydopamine was coated onto the titanium surfaces by dipping in a 2 mg/mL dopamine solution in 10 mM Tris-HCl buffer at pH 8.5. EDX element analysis and Raman spectroscopic analysis of the surface were conducted to verify the formation of polydopamine. The surface characteristics of polydopamine-coated titanium plates were observed by SEM and AFM. Hydrophilicity and corrosion-resistance were also evaluated by static contact angle measurements and potentiodynamic polarization corrosion tests. The absorption intensity for pH-induced polymerization rapidly increased for the initial four hours and thereafter smoothly increased. EDX element analyses revealed that the content of carbon and oxygen increased and the content of titanium decreased after the coating process. In the Raman spectra, polydopamine resulted in two new peaks at approximately 1 370 and 1 570 cm⁻¹ resulting from the stretching and deformation of catechol. Microstructural features revealed that nanometer-sized bright granules were randomly distributed after coating, and these nanoparticles grew with increased coating time. The Ra values of polydopamine-coated titanium plates were showed to increase with coating time. Compared to the pure titanium curve, the inflection point of polydopamine-coated titanium was located at a higher corrosion potential and lower corrosion current density. Findings from our research suggested that polydopamine coatings offer a versatile approach for titanium surface modification.