BLUE CRAB SHELL WASTE VALORIZATION AS A SOURCE OF HYDROXYAPATITE FOR BIOCOMPATIBLE DENTAL IMPLANT COATING FABRICATION

In the presented work, the effect of hydroxyapatite/polycaprolactone (HAp/PCL) ratio and the immersion/withdrawal speed on the corrosion rate and antibacterial properties of Ti-6Al-4V ELI dental implant coating was investigated. Ti-6Al-4V ELI implants are coated with different HAp-PCL ratios and immersion speeds. The functional groups of product hydroxyapatite were confirmed using the HAp standard JCPDS no. 09-0432, with crystallinity of 88.32% and ratio Ca/P at 2.12. The result shows that the higher concentrations of hydroxyapatite result in the decrease of corrosion rate and increased antibacterial activity reflected in larger inhibition zones. Additionally, the higher immersion and withdrawal speeds during dip-coating lead to lower corrosion rates. Furthermore, decreased corrosion rates may enhance the antibacterial properties of HAp-PCL coatings. These results demonstrate that the HAp/PCL composite can be considered as a prospective candidate for dental implant Ti-6Al-4V ELI coating.