Optimizing the quality of bioactive glass-polymer coatings through analysis of the effect of dispersing agents on zeta potential and suspension conductivity

Bioactive glass-polymer (BG-Pol) composite coatings have garnered attention in biomedical applications due to their potential to improve implant performance. This research examines the effects of aluminium nitrate nonahydrate, citric acid, and triethylamine as dispersing agents on the zeta potential and suspension conductivity of BG-Pol suspensions in a 100 % isopropanol suspension. It examines the impact on solutions’ electrostatic and conductive behaviour during electrophoretic deposition to enhance coating deposition. The suspensions having a zeta potential above the stability regime (e.g., above 40 mV for polyethylene glycol suspensions) can give a homogeneous coating without dispersants, but below the stability regime, dispersants enable a more uniform coating. The effective deposition was facilitated by a higher suspension conductivity, which exceeded 0.003 mS/cm.