Electrosprayed superhydrophobic PMMA-SiO 2 composite coated titanium implant: A novel strategy to prevent bone overgrowth and ease implant removal

Abstract

Post-operative retrieval of temporary implants becomes complicated because of the bone overgrowth, bacterial biofilm formation, and the damaging of tissues due to the corrosion of the implant material. In this study, we report a biomimetic lotus leaf surface engineering strategy by means of an antibiotic-infused polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA)/silane-modified SiO₂ nanocomposite superhydrophobic coating on titanium to create a low surface energy material capable of reducing the interaction of biomolecules at the implant-protein interface. The coated samples exhibited superhydrophobicity (>140°) and porous morphology along with antibacterial efficacy against Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, achieving up to 98% bacterial inhibition, supported by disruption of membrane-induced carbohydrate leakage. The in vitro drug release profile demonstrates the bimodal release pattern, characterized by an initial burst release that protects from the early infection, followed by sustained release that prevents biofilm formation. Hemocompatibility and cytocompatibility results revealed the biocompatible nature of the coatings. Furthermore, the impedance spectroscopy results revealed the corrosion resistance performance of the coatings compared to the bare titanium. This platform offers a translatable solution to reduce bone overgrowth and implant-associated infection in the atraumatic removal of temporary orthopedic implants.