Integrated MOF-74 Coatings on Magnesium for Corrosion Control, Cytocompatibility, and Antibacterial Properties

Biodegradable Mg and its alloys can degrade safely in vivo without toxicity. The major bottleneck inhibiting their clinical use is the high corrosion rate, which leads to the loss of mechanical integrity prematurely and bad biocompatibility. One ideal strategy is the modification with anticorrosive and bioactive coatings. Numerous metal-organic framework (MOF) membranes show satisfactory anticorrosion performance and biocompatibility. In this study, MOF-74 membranes are prepared on an NH₄TiOF₃ (NTiF) layer-modified Mg matrix, fabricating integrated bilayer coatings (MOF-74/NTiF) for corrosion control, cytocompatibility, and antibacterial properties. The inner NTiF layer serves as the primary protection for the Mg matrix and a stable surface for the growth of MOF-74 membranes. The outer MOF-74 membranes further enhance corrosion protection, whose crystals and thicknesses can be adjusted for different protective effects. Owing to superhydrophilic, micro-nanostructural, and nontoxic decomposition products, MOF-74 membranes significantly promote cell adhesion and proliferation, showing excellent cytocompatibility. Utilizing the decomposition of MOF-74 to generate the products of Zn²⁺ and 2,5-dihydroxyterephthalic acid can effectively inhibit Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus, displaying highly efficient antibacterial properties. The research may shed valuable strategies for MOF-based functional coatings in the applications of biomedicine fields.