RECENT ADVANCES IN THE ELECTROPHORETIC DEPOSITION OF CHITOSAN-SILVER NANOCOMPOSITE COATINGS ON METALLIC IMPLANTS WITH ENHANCED BIOCIDAL PROPERTIES

This review covers the latest issues related to the development of medical technologies based on chitosan coatings. The progress of modern implantology requires medicine to adapt constantly to new opportunities and challenges. Infections may occur at the implantation site or in the body and may require treatment with antibiotics or surgery to resolve them. Due to its unique properties, such as biocompatibility, biodegradability, non-toxicity and antibacterial activity, chitosan has been proposed to be co-deposited with biocidal silver nanoparticles in the form of nanocomposite coatings on the surface of metallic implants to extinguish local inflammations. The mechanism of co-deposition of chitosan with metal ions and particles using electrophoretic deposition has not yet been thoroughly explained. This, among others, results from a number of factors that influence the process and their mutual relations. Therefore, the present review aims at a deeper understanding of the mechanism of creating chitosan-silver nanocomposite coatings.