Electrodeposition of hydroxyapatite on a metallic 3D-woven bioscaffold

In this study, we demonstrate that a uniformcoating of hydroxyapatite (HAp, Ca₁₀(PO₄)₆(OH)₂) can be electrochemically deposited onto metallic 3D-woven bone scaffolds to enhance their bioactivity. TheHAp coatingswere deposited ontometallic scaffolds using an electrolyte containing Ca(NO₃)₂.4H₂O, NH₄H₂PO₄, and NaNO3. The deposition potential was varied tomaximize the uniformity and adhesion of the coating. Using X-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy, and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS), we found crystallized HAp on the 3D-woven lattice under all deposition potentials, while the-1.5 Vmercury sulfate reference electrode potential provided the best local uniformitywith a satisfactory deposition rate. The coatings generated under this optimized condition were approximately 5 μm thick and uniform throughout the internal and external sections of the woven lattice. We seeded and cultured both coated and uncoated scaffolds with human adipose-derived stromal/stem cells (ASCs) for 12 h and 4 days. We observed that the HAp coating increased the initial cell seeding efficiency by approximately 20%. Furthermore, after 4 days of culture, ASCs cultured on HAp-coated stainless-steel scaffolds increased by 32% compared to only 17% on the uncoated scaffold. Together, these results suggest that the HAp coating improves cellular adhesion.