News Coatings Technologies
Novel polydopamine-copper coating enhances corrosion resistance and blood compatibility of zinc
Researchers have developed a polydopamine coating enriched with Cu(II) ions that significantly improves the corrosion resistance and haemocompatibility of biodegradable zinc. The findings could support the advancement of bioresorbable vascular stents.
Zinc is considered a promising candidate for biodegradable metallic implants, offering a moderate corrosion rate and acceptable biocompatibility. However, its use is limited due to the low toxicity threshold of Zn²⁺ ions and the absence of anticoagulant properties.
A research group in China has now developed a modified polydopamine (PDA) coating incorporated with Cu(II) ions, applied to pure zinc. The coated substrate demonstrated a more than 60 % reduction in corrosion current density compared with bare zinc. Furthermore, the number of corrosion pits was significantly reduced, lowering the risk of excessive local Zn²⁺ release.
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Improved blood properties for stent applications
In addition to corrosion protection, the PDA-Cu(II) coating achieved a strong adhesion strength of grade 5B and exhibited anticoagulant properties. With increasing copper content, platelet adhesion decreased by over 78 %, while the blood coagulation index (BCI) improved by nearly 10 %.
The study demonstrates that PDA-Cu(II) coatings provide a promising strategy for surface modification of biodegradable zinc, particularly for use in vascular stents.
Source: Huang, Z. et al., Corrosion behavior and hemocompatibility of a Cu(II)-incorporated polydopamine coating on biodegradable zinc. Prog. Org. Coat. 203, 109178 (2025).
