Degradation and biocompatibility of one-step electrodeposited magnesium thioctic acid/magnesium hydroxide hybrid coatings on ZE21B alloys for cardiovascular stents

Constructing a functional hybrid coating appears to be a promising strategy for addressing the poor corrosion resistance and insufficient endothelialization of Mg-based stents. Nevertheless, the steps for preparing composite coatings are usually complicated and time-consuming. Herein, a novel composite coating, composed of bioactive magnesium thioctic acid (MTA) layer formed by deposition and corrosion-resistant magnesium hydroxide (Mg(OH)2) layer grown in situ, is simply fabricated on ZE21B alloys via one-step electrodeposition. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) shows that the electrodeposited coating has a compact and uniform structure. And the high adhesion of the MTA/Mg(OH)2 hybrid coating is also confirmed by the micro-scratch test. Electrochemical test, scanning kelvin probe (SKP), and hydrogen evolution measurement indicate that the hybrid coating effectively reduces the degradation rate of Mg substrates. Haemocompatibility experiment and cell culture trial detect that the composite coating is of fine biocompatibility. Finally, the preparation mechanism of MTA/Mg(OH)2 hybrid coatings is discussed and proposed. This coating shows a great potential application for cardiovascular stents.